Steven Universe - Adventures of the Gems 2
by NegaBoss2000
Summary: After Steven begins hearing rumors on Pink Diamond being shattered by his mother, Steven begins to lose faith in her and things end up getting pretty troublesome around beach city and beyond. Now join Steven and the crystal gems as they journey beyond the boundaries of earth and watch how they find a way to do the right thing.
1. Prologue (Updated)

**Greetings from Negaboss2000 once again.**

 **I'm back with an updated version of the prologue for this story.**

 **Anyways, enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _In the very beginning...There was only darkness and despair for us all._

 _Until..._

 _The first of the Great Diamond Authority had emerged from the rubble of our world. She was known, as White 'Isabelline' Diamond, the ultimate matriarch and leader of homeworld._

 _Before long, she created an empire, the beginning of the gem homeworld, but she felt like this wasn't enough, so she created two other members for her authority:_

 _Yellow 'Aureolin' Diamond, the war strategist who was capable of overthrowing dozens of planets without hesitation and mercy._

 _Blue 'Palantine' Diamond, the diplomatic strategist who convinced the all other life forms to make way for the expansion of their empire whilst giving mercy._

 _After a long time, they decided to split themselves into three courts, each Diamond having their own plans and colonies and...gems of various types._

 _Pearls for servents_

 _Quartzes for soldiers_

 _Rubies for bodyguards_

 _Sapphires for_ _Precognition_

 _Peridots_ _for_ _technicians and kindergarteners_

 _Lapis Lazulis_ _for terraforming_

 _Bismuths for_ _constructing structures_

 _Topazes for Fusion Soldiers_

 _Agates for_ _administration_

 _Emeralds for_ _being in charge of gem fleets_

 _Aquamarines for_ _very high-ranked members in Blue Diamond's court._

 _Hessonites for_ _commanders_

 _Rutiles for_ _navigation_

 _Nephrites for_ _pilots_

 _Zircons for_ _lawyers for the courts of Homeworld_

 _and many more gems._

 _The perfect and useful gems that the Diamonds saw were given a purpose in their authority, especially fusion of the same gems...but the defective, useless or cross fusion gems were driven away or shattered because of the authority's desire for perfection._

 _However...to their shock, they were soon to receive another Diamond, rather...Pink 'Fuchisa' Diamond, the latest member of the authority, and the only diamond who only had one colony and a single moon - Earth._ _While managing this colony, the Diamonds continued to expand their empire, claiming quite a few planets for their own and stealing all resources too._

 _One day, Isabelline summoned a Star Sapphire to her court to show the distant future. The sapphire predicted, that if the authority kept going down their genocidal path, they would be defeated by a quartz of the pink rose, and with a noble army at hand, she would eventually bring dismantle the diamond authority._

 _Afterwards, there was talk of Pink Diamond speaking of rumors and life on Earth. Shocked and angered by this sudden interest, the diamonds forced Pink Diamond to continue with the colonization of her world, hoping to change their authority's fate...but what they did next, only sealed it...for good._

 _Thus leading to the tragic end of a war which shattered thousands of gems who tried to defend earth and who went against those gems._

 _Once Pink Diamond was shattered by the rebel leader Rose Quartz, the thousand year war had ended, and the crystal gems were victorious...but at a terrible price._

 _However...while many gems have seen Rose Quartz shatter Pink Diamond...that may not have been the case..._

 _Could she have done such an evil act?_

* * *

 **And that's it for the prologue.**

 **Stay tuned for the newer chapters and if there are any other questions, let me know in the comments** **.**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	2. The Kindergarten Kid

**Here it is everyone, the next set of adventures for the crystal gems from here one out**

 **Let me know what you guys think about it.**

 **(PS, Sorry it took so long, I was mostly busy with stuff)**

* * *

 **[We are the Crystal Gems - Rebecca Sugar]**

 _If you're evil, and you're on the rise_

 _You can count on the four of us taking you down_

 _'Cause we're good and evil never beats us_

 _We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas_

 **Cartoon Network presents.**

 _We Are the Crystal Gems_

 _We'll always save the day_

 _And if you think we can't_

 _We'll always find a way_

 **A fanbased series by Negaboss2000**

 _That's why the people of this world believe in_

 _Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, and Steven!_

 _If you could only know, what we really are_

 **Starring...**

 _When we arrived on Earth, from out beyond your star_

 _We were amazed to find, your beauty and your worth_

 _And we will protect your kind,_

 _And we will protect your Earth_

 _And we will protect your friends,_

 _And we will protect you!_

 **(Montage of all adventures of the Crystal Gems so far)**

 _I will fight for the place where I'm free!_

 _To live together and exist as me!_

 **Estelle Fanta Swaray as Garnet**

 **Charlyne Yi as Ruby and the Ruby Squad**

 **Erica Luttrell as Sapphire**

 _I will fight in the name of Rose Quartz!_

 _And everything that she believed in!_

 **Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Red Pearl, Yellow Pearl and Blue Pearl**

 _We will fight for the world we were made in!_

 _The Earth is everything we've ever known!_

 **Michaela Dietz as Amethyst**

 **Kimberly Brooks as Citrine, Carnelian and Jasper**

 _I will fight for the honor of my kind!_

 _To find out the secrets and truth of Pink Diamond!_

 **Uzo Aduba as Bismuth and Goldsmuth**

 _We will fight to defend our new homeworld!_

 _And everything that is worth fighting for!_

 **Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Peridot 5XB and Squaridot**

 **Jennifer Paz as Lapis Lazuli**

 **Aparna Nancherla** **as Nephrite Jade, Vertica, Wavy and Black Nephrite**

 **Martha Higareda as Imperial Topaz and Yellow Topaz**

 **Grace Rolek as Connie Maheswaran**

 _I will fight to be everything that everybody wants me to be when I'm grown!_

 **Zach Callison as Steven 'Quartz' Universe**

 **Daveigh Chase as Nora 'Debbie' Universe**

 **Susan Egan as Rose Quartz**

 _The odds are against us, this won't be easy, but we're not going to do it alone!_

 **Patti LuPone as Yellow 'Aureolin' Diamond**

 **Lisa Hannigan as Blue 'Palatine' Diamond**

 **Tara Strong as Red 'Scarlet' Diamond**

 **Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate**

 **Della Saba as Aquamarine**

 **Emily Blunt as Bloodstone**

 **Christine Baranski as Hessonite**

 **Kazumi Evans as Drusy Quartz**

 _We Are the Crystal Gems!_

 _We'll always save the day_

 _And if you think we can't_

 _We'll always find a way_

 _That's why the people of this world_

 _Believe in_

 _Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl and Steven!_

 **Steven Universe**

 **Adventures of the gems 2**

* * *

 **The Kintergarten Kid**

In the canyons of the abandoned Beta Kintergarten, Steven and the Crystal Gems were going all over the place looking for the corrupted gems that hadn't been freed. Steven, Connie, Peridot, Jade and Imperia were currently looking for the corrupted gems that they had missed out on while poofing the rest.

''Oh, there's another on over here.'' Steven yelled to Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine and Pearl. The four gems were currently about to enter an exit hole with a corrupted gem inside. ''Alright, we got it Steven. Right, ready...Go!'' The fusion said before the four gems entered the hole and attacked the gem. ''Grab it's legs guys!'' Amethyst yelled from inside the hole.

''That's not a leg Amethyst!'' Garnet yelled before Amethyst yelped in pain. ''Wait...Zen what do you call zat theng?!'' Citrine yelled before she fired her cannon at the creature. That was before Pearl used her spear to poof the gem before bubbling it's gemstone and coming out. ''Hmm...does anyone else find it a little disturbing that Jasper was actually keeping these corrupted gems in these horrible cages?'' Pearl said as she looked around the kintergarten.

Amethyst then decided to join in the conversation with Pearl. ''Er...isn't that what we're doing then?'' Amethyst asked Pearl which sort of frightened Citrine in a way. ''NO!, no no no. That's much different that what we're doing.'' The pearl said in a bit of a panic.

That was right around the time when Garnet reasured the gems. ''Don't worry about it. They're all cared for in the stasis of the bubble power. So...as long as all of them are bubbled, they can't harm anyone, nor will they ever suffer. It what Rose had always wanted.'' The fusion explained as she sent the corrupted gem back to the temple and looked over to where Steven, Peridot, Jade and Imperia were.

''Oh yeah. Ai almost fairgot abut Stevén... How's 'e been doéng?'' Citrine asked Pearl who sighed in sadness. ''He's...taking it...not too well...I know he's not showing it now, but deep down he's not feeling too good. Even with Jade, Lapis and Imperial Topaz accompaning him.'' She explained as she looked over at the gang by the corrupted gem cage.

After their battle in the bubble with Jasper, Black Nephrite and Eyeball, Jade's new outfit had been destroyed. She eventually switched back to her original homeworld outfit which had been modified as a more stylish outfit by Pearl. She was now wearing a green shawl with a collar. Underneath that, she wore a halter neck top bearing the diamond symbol on it over a long sleeved leather top. She also had long boots and leggins. Not only her outfit, but Jade had also changed the style of her hair too. She had let her hair grow long again, but this time she had tied her hair up into a messy ponytail. Imperia and Citrine however had kept their current outfits even after the battle.

Just then, something reflected light towards Pearl's eye. The gems then saw a silver armored gem running towards them before stopping. ''Alright Mother, we've taken care of the gems on the far side of the Beta Kintergarten.'' She said, removing her helmet and revealing herself to be Jewel. ''Good work Jewel. Also, I trust the two new gems didn't have any problem whatsoever?'' Pearl said to her daughter who she explained that the two Nephrites were what's left of Jade's crew. She also said they were coping fairly well in her opinion.

''Also, what did you want us to do with the other gems?'' Jewel asked her mother, confused by this, Amethyst asked which gems. Jewel then showed that there were some of the corrupted gems that were still active and currently being tamed by a familiar Rainbow gem. ''Bismuth. Of course.'' Amethyst groaned, Pearl on the other hand was shocked by this: Bismuth was taming Biggs who was panting happily, the hand cluster (Cobalt and Emerald) which was currently waving it's hands in the air for no apparent reason and there was also a couple of corrupted gems that were old members of the Crystal Gems.

A little upset by this, Garnet asked Bismuth why she wasn't bubbling the gems. ''Bismuth. I know it's been hard, but why aren't you bubbling the gems?'' She said with a bit of a cross attitude. ''Come on Garnet. I know this wasn't what Rose wanted, but I figure if I help Biggs and the others just like Steven helped Jade...this just might work. All I just have to do is tame them all, care for them before trying to help them remember a few things.'' The rainbow gem explained as she stroked Biggs on her fur.

Eventually, Garnet accepted Bismuth's ideas and admired how Steven had changed her mind all of a sudden without the breaking point involved. It wasn't before Long when Butterfly Wing Jasper came back to Bismuth with multiple Bubbled Gems along with Sphalerite, Bixbite, Peacock Topaz and Variscite.

''Alright Garnet, this is all the gems that me and the girls could collect.'' Butterwing said before landing on the ground gently. ''It took us a while to find em, but we finally managed to collect em all. Nice move using your armor trapping abilities on that Cave Creature Jewel.'' Sphalerite complemented Jewel who got out of her armor before answering. ''Thanks, I've been working on it since I got free of those black bubbles.'' She said happily. Peacock Topaz then explained to Bismuth that all the gems within the beta kintergarten even though some of the corrupted gems that they didn't catch had already escaped.

Bismuth said that it wasn't a big deal and that they'll find the gems eventually. That was when they all turned their attention towards Steven and the others. ''Huh. Well, I guess this gem is the last one.'' Steven thought before Imperia and Jade looked in at the cage alongside him. ''Are you sure this time Steven? Because last time when took out that gem that we thought was last, it turned out to be a whole lot of them left.'' Connie asked her friend before he reasured her. ''Don't worry Connie, I'm sure that this is the very last of them here.'' He said as Peridot came over to see the gem.

Inside the cage, The corrupted was revealed actually a bipedal gem with two dark green legs which had lead into an orb-shaped, teal body. It also had three small green eyes on either side of her head, a large mouth with fang like teeth and three gray tongues. He gemstone was a rectangular shape located on her nose and coloured in bluish-green, gray and brown. Before the gang knew it, the gem snarled with it's three tongues flying menacingly about before it ran all over the hole and eventually tripping up and falling on it's head.

That was when Peridot laughed at how clumzy the gem was. ''I just can't believe that these dumb creatures used to be gems like us.'' She giggled before she saw Jade looking crossly at her. ''Er...no offense Jade.'' That was right around the time when Garnet came over to the cage and signeled Citrine, Amethyst, Bismuth and Pearl to come over.

''Pearl, Amethyst, Citrine, Bixbite, Variscite, Sphalerite, get ready. This one looks like it's flighty.'' Garnet said as she called the gems over to the cage. ''Peridot, are corrupted gems anything like this on homeworld?'' Steven asked Peridot calmly. ''Er..we don't have anything like this on homeworld.'' She replied firmly, Jade was shocked by this. ''So...the diamonds used their so called ' _Final Attack_ ' to wipe out all of the gems on Earth?'' Connie asked curiously.

Peridot still hadn't forgotten about what the Diamonds did and said she was absolutely ashamed to be a part of one of their courts. But now that she heard about Pink Diamond's shattering, she was a little freaked out that Rose Quartz would even do such a horrible thing.

Her thoughts on that were quickly vanishing when Garnet spoke. ''Here we go girls.'' She said before pulling the cage's bar out of it's socket. That was when the corrupted gem itself charged right into Garnet with full speed. ''GARNET!'' Steven as he freaked out because of what happened. As soon as Garnet was down, the gem made a run for it.

Amethyst had tried to use her whips to reel in the corrupted gem...but along with Citrine, she got dragged off as she and her sister screamed in the process. Pearl then attempted to shoot the corrupted gem with her spear to which none of the shots hit the gem. She then used her Trident to see if it worked...but the same thing happend. By then, the corrupted gem then throws Amethyst and Citrine towards Pearl and hit the wall of the cage.

The corrupted gem then ran up the wall before it shrieked and turned to retreat. That was when Peacock, Jewel, Variscite, Bix, Sphal and Butterwing stepped in. ''Alright girls, Let's catch this little monster!'' Jewel said confidently before she summoned her sword. The rest of the gems that had followed Bismuth to the Beta Kintergarten also summoned their weapons before preparing to face off against the monster.

Peacock, Butterwing, Bix, Sphal and Vari then summoned their weapons before trying to take down that corrupted gem. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful as the monster ended up getting them to blindly fight each other. ''Ah Apatite. My old rival.'' Bismuth said as she appeared right in front of the corrupted gem. ''I think it's time to bring you in old girl.'' She said as she shapeshifted her hands into giant fists.

The rainbow gem then attempted to tackle the corrupted gem and trap it with her fists...but it didn't work, the gem jumped over Bismuth and caused her to crash into Jewel and the others which made them fall off the cliff.

''Oh thank the stars...that was close?'' Bixbite as her gem on her lower right arm was nearly cracked by a rock.

''Ow...I think I've broken something.'' Sphalerite groaned before she pulled out Peacock Topaz's weapon which was broken upon her landing on top of it.

As they got to their feet, the corrupted gem on the cliff was watching what was happening before it snarled and retreated successfully. ''Stupid last gem. She nearly had me poofed again.'' Jewel complained as she got to her feet. Once the crystal gems regrouped, they heard laughter.

''Hahahahahaha. That was terrible.'' Peridot laughed, the gang groaned at this. ''This is really harder than it looks, alright?'' Pearl groaned angrilly. Bismuth wasn't impressed by Peridot's attitude either...and neither were the the other crystal gems.

''No seriously, how could all you clods be outsmarted by that stupid thing? More importantly, why didn't you lot help them out'' Peridot asked before directing her attention to Jade, Imperia and the Nephrites. ''There wasn't time to react, besides the fact that this was one mess after another.'' Imperia said while explaing her reason for not helping.

''She's right. Anyways, first that thing ran over Garnet, then Amethyst and Citrine tried to use their...'' But before Pearl could continue, Garnet immediately interupted her. ''Pearl...we don't need the play by play. A lot of mistakes happen, especially when you can see the future.'' She said her visor shimmered slightly. ''You always were the one to see the future Sapphire.'' Bismuth said with a slight hint of jealously.

Peridot continued laughing, which is what made Amethyst and Citrine annoyed. ''Ya know what Peri, let's see you do better than us.'' Amethyst said firmly before she let her younger sister speak. ''Yeah Pairi. I'll bét you un of mon cannons if you manaje to tak zat gem down fair us.'' Citrine spoke as she showed one of her cannons.

''Well...I did save all your butts from Jasper...'' Peridot started before Imperia spoke. ''Who's now floating away in space with the Breaking Point, Black Nephrite and the Rubies.'' She stated. ''Thank you for that Imperia. Anyways...I guess I could help you lot here too. Plus I do need a new weapon after my last one got smashed.'' She said before explaining that she put her old tablet back together after what happened.

''Very well...feel free to do it.'' Garnet said with approval. ''Alright then. Let's do this, it'll also be a great chance to show off my metal powers...and everything else I've brought with me.'' Peridot said before she walked off to find the corrupted gem. ''Then that's the last of our work done.'' Garnet said as she concluded the gem hunting. ''Right, let's get Biggs and the others back to the forge, see if we can get some memories back.'' Bismuth said with approval.

Steven and Connie on the other hand were a bit worried. ''Uh, I...I think...'' Steven began before Connie then finished for him. ''I think me and Steven are gonna go help Peridot catch this gem.'' She said nervously, Amethyst was a bit shocked at this point. ''Wait, are you two seriously gonna help her?'' The purple quartz asked the two kids confusingly.

''It's just...She's gonna be all alone out there. Plus I don't think she'll know what she's be doing.'' Steven said, feeling a little worried. ''Oh don't worry Steven, Peridot will be fine.'' Pearl said with a fake worried attitude. ''I was talking about the monster.'' Steven corrected. Everyone, especially Connie was absolutely shocked by this...Well all except for Garnet who chuckled.

''Alright. Take all the time you need, Citrine, Imperia, Bixbite, stay with them.'' Garnet said. Citrine, Imperia and Bix then stayed with Steven and Connie before Garnet started walking off. Bismuth and the others then walked off along with her. ''Er...Garnet, are you sure?'' Pearl asked with a hint of concern.

Once they were gone, Steven and Connie then went to catch up with Peridot. ''Do you think she'll be able catch the monster on her own Steven?'' Connie asked. ''I don't know Connie, but we've gotta help her anyways.'' Steven replied.

Despite what Bix, Imperia and Citrine were thinking, they stood by the two kids' sides no matter what would come next.

Further up on the Canyon's surface

Peridot was walking after the Corrupted gem whilst devising her plans. It was then that Steven, Connie, Imperial Topaz, Bixbite and Citrine had then caught up to her. ''Wait up.'' Steven said before panting in exhaustion. ''Ugh, what is it you guys? Did the other gems ask you to bring me back?'' Peridot asked bluntly. ''No, we came to help you. It usually takes all of us to deal with the corrupted gems.'' Connie corrected Peridot.

''Oh please, it never works. Reason being, you always try to out-brute it.'' Peridot explained, Steven and Connie then looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing.

''With my plan on the other hand, we're gonna outsmart it!'' Peridot explained. She also told the gang that she had a few tricks up her sleeves.

Citrine then glowed brightly with happiness. ''So... Does zat méan wé can 'elp you?'' She asked with glee. ''Well...if you must. Also, I could do with your experience on dealing with these things Steven. Plus, I'll also need Connie's sword combat, Imperia's invisibility...and also I'll need some backup from you two...because mainly, it's not fair...for the creature anyways'' Peridot explained to the gang.

''Er...why's that?'' Connie asked as she cocked her head to one side. ''Because with the six of us together, that thing's not gonna stand a chance.'' Peridot said before she, Steven and Citrine laughed triumplantly. Connie and the other gems then laughed along with them.

Their fun time however, was cut short as the corrupted tongue monster ran right through them. This caused the gang to be tossed up into the air and back down onto the ground again. ''Quickly, after it!'' Peridot yelled before the gang ran after the tongue monster.

* * *

 _(Peri Plan 1 - Crumbling Walls)_

Back in the deep parts of the canyon.

Peridot and the gang crawl quietly to try and find the monster, the eventually hide behind a rock before peeking up to see what the corrupted gem. Due to Imperia's height, Peridot shoved her back down again to make sure that the gang weren't spotted.

''Err...what's that thing doing?'' Peridot asked with a hint of confusion, the corrupted gem was staring at one of the old gem injectors. ''I...I have no idea.'' Connie said, Imperia, Bix and Citrine were about as confused as even Peridot was. ''Maybe...it likes shiny things?'' Steven presumed, he took notice of this after seeing the corrupted gem looking at the injector in a strange way...mainly the metallic parts of the injectors...and also resulted in Peridot thinking of a plan.

''Oh my stars, this is perfect!'' Peridot squeeked in delight. ''Er...what is?'' Bix asked. ''I've just concocted a perfect and flawless Peri-plan!'' Peridot told the gang. ''Nice, so...what's the P.P.? After Seven asked, the whole gang was gathered around as Peri explained her little Plan.

''Well, If I use my metal powers, then the whole thing might collapse onto the monster.'' Peridot explained. ''Hmm, well alright, let's give it a try. Imperia, use your invisibility and try to block the monster in case it tries to run, Citrine, take the top of the Canyon wall and use your gun. Connie and I will stay here with Peridot just in case, and Bix...was it?...do whatever you can do to help us.'' Steven said, explaining a stratergy to the gang.

''I'm on it.'' Imperia said, turning invisible and sneaking behind the corrupted gem.

''You 'ave got eet Stéven.'' Citrine said, taking out her cannon and glowing bright yellow, she jumped onto the canyon's cliff and prepared to fire.

''This mightn't be much, but I'll do my best.'' Bix said as she used her powers for something.

Peridot then began to use her metal powers to tamper with one of the Injector's legs. ''Gently does it.'' She said with ease. Suddenly, Peridot had succeeded in removing on of the gem injector's legs off...but it just fell to the ground, it also confused the corrupted gem in the process.

''It's...not falling.'' Steven said with a bit of doubt. ''He's right, that machine's not budging a bit.'' While Connie also spoke doubtful words, Peridot was still with hope. ''Maybe another leg needs to fall off.'' She tried again, but the same result happened.

Growling in fustration, Peridot then attempted to try again. ''FALL YOU STUPID...THING!'' She started, only to stop and focus more on crushing the corrupted gem than her careful plans. Imperia and Citrine were questioning Peridot's plan.

Eventually, all the legs of the injector had fallen off. With nothing else to do, the Corrupted gem then wondered off somewhere else. Imperia then tried using her telepathic arrows to poof the monster, but as it ran off it caused the topaz to accidently aim her arrows towards Citrine who fell off the cliff and onto Imperia.

''Imperia, Citrine, are you girls ok?!'' Steven yelled in panic. ''We're fine Steven, it's like...nothing actually hurt us.'' Imperia replied to Steven. Connie was curious about what she meant by not being hurt, until Peridot blew up in front of the gang.

''AW COME ON!'' Peridot yelled in annoyance, grunting angrilly as she walked over to the Injector. She then kicked the wall where the Injector was. ''FALL ALREADY!'' She screamed. But as she kicked the wall, it began to crack where the injector's drill was embedded.

''Peridot, watch out!'' Steven yelled, warning Peridot along with Connie. ''It's gonna fall on top of you.'' She pointed out. The green gem then looked upwards to see what Connie was talking about. ''Oh yeah, thanks for that Connie.'' She said before moving to the side of the injector and started to kick the wall again.

''Air... Pairidot, ai wouldn't do zat if ai waire you.'' Citrine warned Peridot. But it was too late, Peridot kicked the wall before answering. ''Wait, why no...'' She was cut off by a large bunch of boulders falling right on top of her.

Steven and Connie gasped in horror after witnessing what had happened. ''P...Peridot?!'' Steven panicked before running over to where Peridot was crushed. ''Peridot, are you ok?!'' Connie asked, fearing for Peridot's gem. ''I...I'm ok Miss Maheswaran. Just watch out for...'' Just then, Connie and Steven were greeted by the corrupted gem who ran over to the boulders.

''There it is! GET IT!'' Peridot yelled as she sticked her head out from the boulders. Steven then pulled out his shield and prepared for the worst, Connie was about to pull out Rose's sword until the corrupted gem pounced on the two kids and started scratching them with it's claws.

Connie had tried to reach for the sword, but the gem scratched her arm. She screamed in pain before the monster turned it's attention to her. ''Keep it distacted Miss Maheswaran! I'll finish it off with my...'' Before Peridot could reveal her item to finish off the gem, the injector finally fell...but it fell onto her instead of the monster.

Imperia and Citrine then ran over to Peridot to check if she was alright. Even though it was their only chance to capture the corrupted gem, they decided to help Peridot out anyway while Steven tried to protect Connie from the monster along with Bixbite.

''Are you ok? Aré you 'urt?'' Citrine asked curiously before getting her answer. ''I...I think we need to...revise our strategy.'' Peridot answered. Once the monster had gone, Steven then tended Connie's wound with his healing abilities. ''Thanks Steven, that monster really hurt me. I don't think that I've ever been cut like that in all of my life.'' Connie said, feeling a little dizzy from looking at the monster's eyes.

''No problem, I'm just glad that your wound isn't serious or anything.'' Steven said, using a small fraction of his healing spit to fix Connie's wound. Once it was fully healed, Connie was then helped onto her feet. They were about to hold hands until...

''Oh stop getting mushy you two, we've got work to do.'' Peridot complained before walking on after the monster. Blushing with embarrasment, the two kids stayed Silent before running after Peridot.

''Er...did Peri actually make what you call, a Rhyme?'' Imperia asked Bix and Citrine. The pair shrugged in confusion but when Peridot called them, they ran in order to catch up.

* * *

 _(Peri Plan 2 - Operation Cannon)_

Above the canyon.

''Alright, are you guys ready for our second Peri-plan?'' Peridot asked Rhetorically. The gang were really unsure about what Peridot was planning. ''I dunno, the first one didn't work out so...great.'' Bix said worryingly. ''I agree with Bix, it might actually fail again.'' Connie told Peridot.

''Yes, opinions noted, Miss Maheswaran.'' Peridot started annoyed at Connie's worries, but the annoyance was soon replaced with conficence. ''But don't worry, this plan is gonna be even more flawles! You see, I can hollowed out the injector and made it into a rudimentry cannon!'' Peridot said with excitement. ''Observe if you will.'' After speaking, Peridot then went over to the cannon before turning it.

She then pushed down the large switch at the back and the cannon shot out a large object into the distance. ''Woah, that's impressive.'' Steven complemented. ''I agree, I'm having second thoughts about this plan.'' Bix added on with Steven's compelment.

''You've got that right. This will be the best way to take down that gem from a great distance.'' Peridot said, explaining how here second plan would go down. ''When ai said I'd givé you mon cannon, ai didn't mean a cannon zis big.'' Citrine complained in her mind, it was also at that moment when the corrupted gem was passing by.

''Guys, there it is!'' Steven yelled. ''Don't worry, I've got it.'' Peridot said as she aimed the cannon towards the corrupted gem. It then stopped and noticed the gang before shooting it's tongues up into the air in response to Peridot preparing to fire.

''Heh, got you now, you clod.'' She smirked, she then shot the cannon...but nothing came out of it. ''Huh? Come on, work you little...'' The cannon then fired...but actually recoiled and flew backwards right into Peridot, Citrine, Bix and Imperia. It crashed against one of the canyon walls before creating an avalance of boulders.

''What was I thinking? Of course this would happen!'' Bix complained from under the rocks. The corrupted gem then approached Steven and Connie, growling and snarling at them. ''Er...hey there. You win this round for now.'' Steven said, trying to calm down the monster.

The two kids were then pounced on and hurt them really bad before running off again. ''Ow...ok, that hurt...'' Connie said before passing out.

* * *

 _(Peri Plan 3 - The power of gravity)_

Later on during the day

Once Connie woke up after passing out, Peridot had another plan on the way. It honestly wouldn't work a third time seeing as how the gang were in rough shape.

''Ok. I've managed to analyse the problems with our first two Peri-Plans.'' Peridot started. ''Reahlly, you don't sai?'' Citrine complained sarcastically. Peridot growled at this, but soon focused on explaining her plans. ''Relying on the kindergarten injectors had introduced way too many complications for our mission. So now, we have to rely on simple but effective physics.'' Peridot explained which confused the gang a little.

''Er...and what does a boulder and simple physics have to do with the plan.'' Bix asked nervously. ''Well I'm glad you asked Bix, We'll wait until the monster gets right up under us, not knowing that we're up her because it's so dumb! Then we'll drop this giant rock right on top of it's stupid head! It'll even be more flawless. Plus, at this height, nothing will fall on us.'' The green gem explained, sounding a little bit insane at the same time.

''Sheesh, doesn't that sound a bit dark?'' Steven said as he began to question Peridot's sanity level. ''Also, what if it doesn't stop underneath us?'' Connie asked nervously.

Then Peridot got a little mad and accidently lashed out at Connie. ''I'm doing the best I can Miss Maheswaran! You don't know anything about my gem kind, you don't know anything about homeworld and you don't know the perfect plans of a smart Peridot like me! You're just a stupid cloddy little girl who was just given a sword by Steven and nothing else!'' Once she finished yelling, Connie was actually insulted by what Peridot said.

Citrine was the first to get mad at Peridot for lashing out at Connie, but Bix on the other hand noticed something even more troubling. ''Um guys?'' She said, to the gang. ''The monster, the monster!'' She yelled, getting the attention of a very angry gang.

''What about the monster Bix?!'' Peridot asked in anger, the gang then heard a growl behind them and immediately they were afraid. ''It's right behind us isn't it?''

Once everyone turned around, they saw that the Corrupted gem had been behind them the whole time. ''Eh bien c'est juste fantastique(Translate: Well that's just fantastic.)'' Citrine spoke sarcastically. The monster then roared at the gang and caused them to fall off the cliff screaming all the way. The monster then went up to the boulder and slightly tapped it, the boulder then fell off the cliff.

Back on the ground, Peridot eventually landed face first onto the canyon floor. Citrine then landed on top of Peridot, she actually landed on the green gem with her bottom. Imperia then fell into Citrine's arms and thanked her quartz friend for catching her. Bixbite then fell ontop of Peridot's legs accidently and she also felt a lot of pain at the same time. Soon after that, Steven floated down with Connie in his arms.

The two kids landed on the ground and Steven put Connie back on her feet. They both looked at the gems to see if they were ok. ''Er...don't worry guys. I...'' Peridot never got to finish her sentence as the boulder fell on the four gems and carried them away.

Steven and Connie then chased the boulder. While chasing it, they noticed that Citrine was running on top of the boulder along with Imperia while Bix and Peridot were both getting squashed as the boulder rolled along the canyon floor. The boulder was chased by the two kids until they came up towards a sort of loop-de-loop shaped formation of sandstone.

The boulder goes around the formation before Connie actually tripped up on a stone and fell to the ground. The boulder was then on a collision course with the young girl, but Steven uses used his bubble to protect himself and Connie, this in turn caused the bubble to go around the loop-de-loop and hits the boulder, knocking the four gems off.

The boulder then went up the loop-de-loop again, only to stop halfway before dropping to the ground. 'Ugh, I think we...'' Peridot started...before the boulder fell right on top of her. ''Woah, you don't poof easily do you?'' Connie asked irritably. ''We...Peridots are tougher than we look. All Peridots are created with immense durability.'' Peridot explained, talking mainly about her abilities.

''How many times 'as Pairidot been crushed by roks?.'' Citrine asked. Bix mearly slapped her head in annoyance. ''Maybe we should just call it a day?'' Imperia said, the gang agreed after what happened today.

* * *

That night

The gang had set up camp in the Beta Kindergarten's surface and had managed to get a fire going. Steven was currently cooking marsmallows on a stick, Connie was sitting by him, still upset about what Peridot yelled at her earlier, Imperia was practicing her telepathic arrows on a couple of targets along with Citrine and Bix on the other hand was looking at a strange gust of sand that moved in a strange way.

Meanwhile, Peridot was celebrating her possibly fourth Peri-Plan. ''Yes! This time it's going to work, This is gonna be perfect! this is going to work! This is going to be...'' She started...until her injector construction came crashing down.

''...Ugh..a huge waste of our time!'' She growled before walking back over to the campsite. Bix had then finished looking at the sand and had also walked over to the campsite where the others were.

Once she noticed that Peridot had come back, Connie moved away from her and even turned her head away in sadness. ''Ugh, why can't I master this?!'' Peridot said before sitting down beside Steven. ''Aw, come on Peridot, it's alright. Even if none of your Peri-Plans worked, the main thing is that they were kind of hilarious. Even, Garnet, Amethyst, Bismuth, Jade or Pearl would think the same as well once we go back and get their help.'' Steven said, trying to cheer up the green gem, despite Connie disagreeing with him.

''Wait...Go back? Let it be known that I, Peridot-2F5L Cut-5XG, Refuse to move onwards or backwards until I'm victorious! She said firmly, which also got some of the other gems mad. ''Haven't you done enough damaje fair un dai Pairidot? We wairé béaten by a senglé monstair and Connie could 'ave died bécausé of yur stupiditay.'' Citrine complained, Bix agreed as well.

''I mean, I don't get it. I'm smarter than your average Peridot, I'm at Rank 3, I've got Ferrokinesis, So how could I along with my friends be defeated today against some barely functional, stupid, cloddy, dumb-dumb?!'' She complained angrilly. ''Hey, come on Peri. Corruptions aren't dumb, they mostly think differently than normal gems. Like Jade for example, I might have electrocuted her, but afterwards we became friends. We went on all sorts of adventures, I partially healed her and eventually, this lead me to finding her crew and fully healing her'' Steven explained, Connie then looked at him after hearing Jade's past.

''Wait, Jade was a corrupted gem, and you healed her?'' She asked. ''Yeah, I'll tell you about it once this whole thing blows over.'' Steven responded, promising to tell her.

Neither of them noticed that Peridot was looking at them, once they noticed, Connie turned her head away. ''Anyways, as I was saying, and just to make sure my Earth vocabulary is correct with this theory: Let's say for example, I'm a monster. I spend most of my time slamming my face into really hard objects and throwing my tongues around in the air just for fun. How would I not be...dumb?'' The green gem asked, trying to get her points from everyone.

''Well...she's gotta be doing something right.'' Bix thought about, she clued into all of it after all of Peridot's plans blew up in her face. ''I know what you're talking about Bix, she didn't fall for any of Peri's Peri-plans.'' Imperia added.

Once she heard everyone's thoughts, Peridot blew up in fustration. ''It's luck! Nothing that gem does makes any sense whatsoever!'' She screamed, she then put her hands on her forehead in order to calm down. Steven had to get her to understand why the monster seemed smarter than her, so he came up with a plan...which Connie didn't like the sound of.

Peridot was busy trying to calm down and think about the situation until...she felt something hit her nose. It was a marsmallow from Steven's bag of Marsmallows. ''Hey.'' She said, Steven had then got the idea to show his green friend what it was like being a corrupted gem. He was taunting the anticipation of throwing more marshmallow before he threw another one.

And another one.

And another one.

Eventually, he started throwing dozens of them all at once at Peridot's face. This in turn, caused Peridot to growl and yell at Steven.

''Why are you bombarding me with your confectionery puff rocks?!'' She yelled as more and more marshmallows were pelting her.

''I'm doing this to show you what it's like to be a monster!'' Steven replied, Connie urged him to stop but she eventually found this to be kind of entertaining...the others unfortunately agreed with Connie which annoyed Peridot a lot more than the marshmallows. ''Pretend I'm a freaked-out human who's screaming at you in fear! Pretend...I'm an Earth animal who's trying to chase you away from your first and only safe hiding spot! Pretend that I'm an angry green Gem trying to poof you! This is life for you now. Endless. Mindless. Suffering!'' He said, tormenting Peridot an awful amount of times with the marshmallows and the insults.

Eventually, Peridot finally snaped. She then grabbed the bag of marshmallows from Steven before Imperia, Citrine and Connie pulled him back incase Peridot hurt her. Peridot then chewed away at the bag and waved it all around in the air with a fit of anger, rage and despair...ultimatly it revealed Steven's point.

''There you go, you see what I'm talking about?'' Steven asked, by then Peridot had calmed down and realised more about Steven's point. ''Yeah, I get where you're coming from.'' Peridot replied with a short response.

''What you're doing...or just did made total sense.'' Steven started explaining. ''Also, do you remember what it felt like to have all the most important things you loved taken away? Feeling trapped? You were so fustrated when we chased you around. She's trapped as well. So...why not try thinking about all of what you're feeling and take it all from her point?'' Steven urged, Peridot then thought about what Steven was saying.

And that's when she thought up her fourth Peri-plan. Only this was one that she got from one of the other crystal gems

* * *

The next day

Steven and the gang had managed to track down the corrupted gem who was currently shooting her three tongues in the air and bouncing around. The gang were hiding behind a rock and spied on the gem. ''Have faith Peridot, you can do it.'' Steven said, boosting Peridot's confidence.

Peridot then walked over to the corrupted gem while the gang watched her all the way. ''Err...Steven? What exactly does Peridot have in mind anyway?'' Bix asked, Steven just answered that she had a more appropriate way of dealing with the situation than using technology.

Suddenly, the corrupted gem then turned around and noticed Peridot coming towards her. They both stared at each other for a long while, the green gem was then starting to have second thoughts about what she was doing. ''Honestly, how can I take this dirty tongue-flapper seriously?'' She questioned to herself. ''Think, just...like...a monster would.'' Steven said, Peridot then got confidence back before she took Steven's advice.

Without any warning, Peridot started bouncing around and shot her own tongue into the air. ''Eez she sairious?'' Citrine asked rhetorically in disbelief. ''There's non wai zat eez evair jenna...'' But before Citrine could even speak, the corrupted gem approved of Peridot's actions as she hopped over to her slowly.

''You were saying Citrine?'' Imperia said with amazement. The two gems spent the next few minutes hopping around and shooting their tongues into the air which sort of acted like a playtime. Steven found this cute to watch and soon enough, Connie and the others approved of this.

Peridot was actually beginning to enjoy playing with the corrupted gem herself. She also figured that it wasn't a monster, it was just a gem like her but different. After some time, Peridot got close enough to the gem and then attempted to stroke her. The monster growled upon seeing her hand come near her.

To try and keep the monster from running again, Peridot then tried other activities such as Racing, drawing on the ground and seeing who could jump the highest.

The gem even gave Peridot a challenge which was mainly about avoiding the marks that the gem had drawn around the green gem with her own tongues. It was hard, but Peridot managed to complete it.

Satisfied, the monster was then met with Peridot who tried to stroke her again. The monster still wouldn't approve for that which sort of made Peridot jump. However, Peridot tried something stupid in her own opinion, she gently placed her hand in front of the gem's head and didn't even move. Meanwhile, the gang thought Peridot was out of her mind when she put her hand in front of the gem.

Everyone thought that the gem was going to poof her, but it didn't. The monster suddenly felt a bit of emotion within her...something which actually made her understand about who Peridot was.

Without knowing she did it, the corrupted gem then went closer and allowed Peridot's arm to stroke her. Opening one eye, Peridot then saw that the gem had allowed her to stroke her. ''Wow...I...I guess that means we're both the same...right?'' Peridot asked the corrupted gem, the tongue monster snarled in agreement before playfully licking Peridot who laughed playfully at this.

After calling the others over, Steven then congratulated Peidot for giving the gem a chance. Despite yelling at Connie yesterday, Peridot soon appologised for what she did. ''And that's the last gem we tamed.'' Steven said with approval. ''You said it Steven. What could possibly go wrong now?''

Suddenly as she spoke, a red mist appeared in the sky before sinking into the ground. The mist then formed a body like figure who started cracking away at the earth underneath the gang and created a landslide. ''Wah, what's happening?! Connie asked with a fright. ''I dunno, but hold on!'' Steven yelled as the gang fell into the lower canyon and straight to their deaths.

Peridot on the other hand was in a more worse situation as she was plummeting straight to the canyon floor at an incredible speed along side the corrupted gem. However, the gem knew she had to do something and immediately took action, grabbing Peridot with her tongues before placing her own back to the canyon floor.

''PERIDOT!'' Steven yelled as the two gems plummeted towards the ground before they saw a large poof of smoke beneath. As this happened, the gang were trying to grab a hold of something in order to stop falling but it was no use.

Connie closed her eyes and prepared for pain...but a few seconds later, she felt no pain whatsoever. Opening her eyes, Connie was able to see that Steven, Bix, Imperia and Citrine were safely on the ground in a hand.

Wait...a hand?

The gang looked up to see a gem. No...A fusion, holding onto a ledge of the canyon and preventing them from falling to their doom. (1)This gem was about 3/4 of alexandrite's height, six arms, long hair with three colours of light orange, light yellow and light green and had three gem eyes which were similar to Garnet's eyes. Gems eyes that Steven had seen before.

''Need a hand you guys.'' The fusion spoke. ''Woah, Jade is that you?'' Steven asked in amazement. ''Amazing isn't it? I actually haven't done this in a very long while.'' The fusion of Jade and her crew said. She then put the gang down before the three of them unfused. ''We were just looking to check up on you, the next thing that happens is that the beta kindergarten's walls start crumbling with you on them.'' Jade told the gang.

''Well, I dunno how that happened exactly, but we'll discuss that later. Where's Peridot?!'' Just then, everyone heard a groan along with a bit of a sniffle. ''P...Peridot? Are you ok?'' Steven asked. Peridot climbed out of the crater that the corrupted gem had made without showing her face. ''I suppose so.'' Peridot answered, trying to hide a hint of sadness in her voice.

She then revealed that the tongue monster had actually poofed, she was also very upset after finally getting the monster to understand her. ''Oh non.'' Citrine gasped. Everyone then felt a little sorry for Peridot and tried to support her until she calmed down.

''I'm ok, she sacrificed herself to save me. I'm grateful to her.'' Peridot claimed once she calmed down and wiped her tears. Looking back at the gemstone and smiling. ''Wow...I never thought you'd follow in my footsteps. Even with Apatite.'' A familiar voice called out to Peridot.

Bismuth then appeared in front of the gang along with Garnet. ''Hey, you guys are back.'' Steven said. ''Honestly, why have you guys come back?'' Bix asked curiously to Bismuth.

''Eh, we never really left to be honest.'' Garnet replied, she then revealed that she, Bismuth and the rest of the crystal gems were watching the whole time. ''We figured it woulda been funny.'' Amethyst said, chuckling. ''I'll say, it was also a wonderful experience that you had with the corrupted gem.'' Jewel said, admiring Peridot's choice to give the gem another chance. ''All of this was possible thanks to...Future vision.'' Garnet said, taking off her visor and revealing her top eye.

''Wait...you...were all watching the whole time?'' Peridot asked in disbelief. ''That's right, you did everything to poof the monster, but in the end you decided to play with it. Reminds me a little of Rose.'' Bismuth said proudly. She then took out what appeared to be (2)a metal sphere with a green star on it.

Peridot was then given the boomerang as she looked at it in confusion. ''You earned the construct orb for all your hard work, plus I figured you'd need a new gem weapon since your old catapult got destroyed by Jasper.'' Bismuth said before stroking Peridot's hair.

''Wh...what is it?'' Peridot asked, looking at the orb. ''It's a construct orb. We had a couple of Peridots during the war and some of them used this. It's able to construct anything you can imagine.'' Jewel explained. ''Plus, It's way better than a cannon owned by a Citrine.'' Ice claimed, which earned her a whack across the head.

After testing the metal orb and after Looking at the corrupted gem, Peridot realised about what she had done to earn respect and proof of her friendship between the corrupted Apatite.

''I...I can't believe I actually redeemed that gem. But to be honest, all of the hard work I did was more difficult than I even expected. So overall...I think this corrupted gem was truly an adversary worthy of both my skill and friendship.'' She said proudly. She then held out her hand for Garnet to take the corrupted gem, but she had suddenly bubbled the gemstone without knowing.

''Wow.'' Connie said in amazement.

''Peridot...'' Steven gasped.

''Nice bubble, Peri.'' Amethyst claimed after experiencing a new power that Peridot had discovered. Peridot however, was a little confused about what to do next. ''Er..what do I do with it?'' She asked with an uneasy voice. ''Send it off.'' Garnet answered her. ''In other words, tap the top of the bubble.'' Steven said, making it much easier for the green gem to understand him.

Once Peridot tapped the top of the bubble, it travelled somewhere. ''Happy trails.'' Steven said, waving at the gem as it went. ''So...where did it go?'' Peridot asked curiously. ''Not the forge or the crystal temple anyways.'' Bismuth said firmly.

''It went home.'' Steven said happily. ''But where exactly?'' Bix asked.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Barn

Lapis was currently in the barn reading a book on pretty hairstyles.

All of a sudden, she notices Peridot's bubble had appeared out of nowhere. She then ignored the bubble and continued to read her book.

However, she was a little curious as to why that bubble appeared.

* * *

 **(1) That everyone...is Rainbow Nephrite. A fusion of Jade and her two remaining crew members.**

 **(2) The metal orb is gonna be Peridot's new weapon for the time being.**

 **Well everyone, that's basically the end of the chapter.**

 **Stay tuned for more.**


	3. Know your fusion

**Hello again**

 **I'm sorry this took so long to do, but I'm sure that you'll like this chapter**

 **Anyways, let's get on with the show. ^^**

* * *

 **Know your fusion**

In Steven's Beach House.

Steven and Amethyst were discussing about what had happened in the beta kindergarten when they both fought against Jasper. Peridot and Citrine were also there, planning on how to reveal the secret fusion.

''...and then, we go right into the tricks.'' Steven explained to Amethyst. ''Yeah, that way it'll be more exciting, and it might even get Lapis' mind to change about fusion...considering if it actually works.'' Peridot said.

''Alright then, but I honestly think we should save the Dog Walker for another time.'' Amethyst suggested, Steven however, knew otherwise. ''Come on Amethyst, it's gonna be our first impression. Sometimes, you gotta go big, plus we should go soon, too, before they get suspicious.'' Peridot complained before she then warned the gang about not trying to raise suspicions towards the others.

Garnet, Pearl, Lapis, Bismuth and Connie were busy baking a cake with Jade. It was the perfect way for Bismuth and Jade to distract the others despite a few suspicions raised at first but they knew the plan was working absolutely fine.

It was when Pearl that they knew it was time to suprise the gems. ''Hmm, those four are acting very suspicious. Do you think we should ask them what's going on?'' Pearl asked Garnet. ''I can't.'' She replied with her usual attitude while not noticing Jade's and Bismuth's expressions to giggle.

''Right...Steven, Amethyst, Peridot, Citrine. Is there anything you'd like to tell us right now?'' Pearl asked the short squad.

Upon agreeing to start things off, Steven stood up and started explaining. ''So...you guys know how me, Amethyst, Jade, Bismuth, Citrine and Imperia had a big epic showdown in the Beta Kindergarten.'' He started off, Amethyst then got to her feet and continued.

''And you also know that during all of it, we managed to beat Jasper.'' She said, Peridot and Citrine then stood up and finished it. ''Despite a few flaws along the way...'' ''Wé steehl manajéd to beat zat tairribuhl quartz een ze end.'' Citrine and Peri managed to finish off.

The four of them then spoke together in unison. ''But do you know, _who_ beat Jasper?'' They said, which managed to confuse all of the crystal gems.

''Steven and Amethyst?'' Pearl guessed.

''Peridot?'' Lapis guessed, thinking that Peridot took Jasper out with the metal pole.

''Imperial Topaz?'' Peacock Topaz' components guessed. All four of the fusion's components were Peacock Topazes who were more powerful than any other topaz.

''Citrine?'' Garnet answered.

''Bismuth?'' Connie guessed before looking at Bismuth.

''Our captain? Jinx!'' The two Nephrites said in unison accidently.

None of the gems guesses were even near to the answer that Steven and Amethyst were expecting. ''Ugh, it didn't land on them.'' Amethyst groaned. ''Quick, Pick it back up, pick it back up!'' Steven whispered, trying to get show the others what they were talking about.

''Ahem, the point is...we've got someone we'd like you to meet.'' Amethyst said. ''If you would all lik to tak yur seats, we can show you.'' Citrine finished off her sister's points. ''Alright then, let's meet this mysterious stranger.'' Pearl said as she sat down beside Garnet on the couch. The other gems then sat around the couch looking only at Steven and Amethyst.

''Hmm, I wonder who the new stranger is gonna be?'' Connie wondered to herself. ''More importantly, when are we gonna see her?'' Lapis asked Steven curiously. ''Right...now.'' Steven answered Lapis as he took hold of Amethyst's hand as a huge light engulfed the pair of them.

After that, standing near the front door was none other than the yo-yo weilding fusion also known as, Smoky Quartz. ''Hey y'all, I'm Smoky Quartz. Nice to meet ya.'' Smoky said as she pulled out Steven's shield and Amethyst's whip. Everyone of the gems were struck dumbfound, except for Bismuth, Jade, Imperia, Citrine and Peridot who were absolutely excited to see Smoky again.

''AAAAAWOAHHH WHAT?!'' Pearl screamed in surprise upon seeing this. Garnet had literally gotten out of her seat in shock at this. The other gems freaked out in amazement. ''Don't bother putting your socks back on, 'cause I'm about to knock 'em off again.'' Smoky said, throwing Steven't shield before whipping it and creating her yo-yo once again.

Garnet was laughing with joy upon seeing a new fusion while Pearl was just muttering gibberish.

''I figured it had to happen eventually, but I never actually thought that I'd see a half-gem and a gem fusion in the Beta Kindergarten.'' Bismuth said with an amazing attitude.

''Wait?! You fused...and beat Japser like that?!'' Lapis exclaimed. She was afraid for Steven more than excited to meet Smoky.

''Ok, that's a freaky turn of events!'' Connie said with a freaked out attitude.

''So now, you guys can see exactly _how_ I beat Jasper. This is a little trick I like to call ''Walk the dog''! Smoky said before she rolled her yo-yo across the floor and caused it to smash into the wall at the end. ''Wait! Explain EVERYTHING!'' Pearl yelled historically, Garnet then picked Pearl up and shook her around like a doll while shouting happily, the other gems were no different when it came their reactions.

Smoky then summoned another yo-yo before doing her tricks. ''This next one's called ''Jog the Dog''!'' She said before she rolled the two yo-yos, one of them hit the baking items on the kitchen counter while the other one shattered Steven's tv. ''Oh no!'' Pearl said, knowing that Smoky's showing off would get out of hand sooner or later.

''Whoops!'' Smoky said sheepishly before summoning a third yo-yo. ''Uh, this one's called ''Dog-Walking Is Just My Day Job 'til I Finally Get That Callback''!'' She claimed right before sending all three yo-yos across the room to do more damage yet again. ''Garnet? A little help?!'' Pearl panicked before Garnet stopped shouting in joy and looked at Pearl.

Right before Smoky's yo-yos could do anymore damage, Garnet and Pearl fused into a familiar vermilion skined fusion. The fusion was Sardonyx who caught Smoky's yo-yos and before anymore damage could be done. ''Mnh-mnh-mnh!'' Sardonyx said as she shook her head.

''Sardonyx!'' Smoky said Bismuth said in unison after gasping at the triple fusion once again. ''You know the rules about weapons in the house! mostly allowed in truth, but with some exceptions.'' Sardonyx said firmly as Smoky's Yo-Yos disappeared.

''Oh what a pleasure it is to finally meet you! And Bismuth, It's so wondeful to see you once again.'' Sardonyx said cheerfully. ''Same with you Sards, finally back into the show _bismuth_ are we?'' Bismuth joked, Lapis and Connie then walked up to the two fusions before speaking.

''So...Steven is able to fuse with the other gems and not just with me?'' Connie asked with a slight hint of jealousy. She then shrugged it off without hesitation. ''No, more to the fact, does it hurt? Being in a fusion to any of you?'' Lapis asked with doubt.

Sardonyx then reasured the blue gem as she stroked her hair. ''Oh come Lapis, not all fusions are bad like Malachite. While there are some bad fusions, Smoky here is a perfect example of a stable fusion. As a matter of fact, she's made quite the impression already. Come to think of it, there's one in the wall ver there, and there...'' Sardonyx explained before twisting her body around in order to point out where Smoky had made the holes with her Yo-Yos.

''Uh...Sorry, looks like I got a bit carried away. I guess I can uh... _reel it in_.'' Smoky joked, Sardonyx laughed at this with her usual '' _Oh-ho-ho-ho-hooo_ '' and Lapis somewhat giggled too. ''Oh stop! But really, please stop. While your act is tremendous, your stage is just too small. So we need some space to get to know each other more. Somewhere a bit more...infinite.'' Sardonyx said as she twisted her body and guided Smoky to the temple doors.

Bismuth and the other gems then walked over to the temple door where they all waited in confusion. Suddenly, Pearl's, Ruby's and Sapphire's gems on the door lit up all at once before the temple door turned into a set of curtains. This told the gems that the door was open. ''Oh my stars, this is incredible.'' Peridot squeaked

''Wait...you have a room in the temple?'' Smoky asked with awe. ''It exists as long as I exist. And here...I...am!'' Sardonyx said as she crouched down and squeezed her way through the temple door with her lower hands to help.

Sardonyx then beckons Smoky to come inside. ''Come now, don't be shy!'' She said. ''Bwooop!'' Smoky said as she sidled through the curtains and into Sardonyx's chamber.

''Right, come on you lot. I wouldn't wanna miss this for the world.'' Bismuth said as she entered the Temple. After that, the other gems then entered the Temple door with Connie with them.

* * *

In Sardonyx's chamber.

Nobody could see anything. The chamber was absolutely pitch black, some of the gems were tripping over each other trying to see where they were going. ''Er...I can't see nothin' in here.'' Smoky complained, until Sardonyx spoke up.

''You _cannot see anything_ , my darling. Because the show hasn't started yet!'' Sardonyx said with an excited tone as she walked over to a nearby place. ''Er...show?'' Smoky asked with confusion.

Just then, Sardonyx's voice spoke up for everyone to hear, which was strangely something that Peridot would never had expected. '' _Live, from a metaphysical room deep in the Obsidian Temple, it's_ '' _Sardonyx Tonight!_ '' She called out as a neon sign with the ' _Sardonyx Tonight_ ' logo hung above what appeared to be, a talk-show styled room which consisted of a large desk and a comfortable looking sofa chair that Smoky sat in.

Bismuth, Connie, Peridot, Lapis and the other gems were all sitting in seats as they watched the show. Connie was excited at this point and from Peridot's point of view, looked absolutely giddy as a school girl. Despite being a little unsure, Peridot and Lapis were quite excited to see what awaited them in store for this show.

''Goooood evening, everybody!'' Sardonyx greeted, she was using a microphone to speak to the crowd. Along with Bismuth and the other gems, the room suddenly filled up with cheers from the audience. ''We have a brand-new fusion with us tonight! Oh my goodness, I'm so excited, I could just shatter.'' After speaking, Sardonyx threw her microphone off stage which causes it to crash into something and caused a cat to yowl.

Sardonyx then walked over to a desk behind her before crouching behind it. ''So please, everyone welcome _Smoky Quartz_.'' She said with excitement. The studio audience then clapped and cheered Smoky who waved her third arm with a little bit of embarrassment. Bismuth, Citrine, Jade and Imperia were literally the loudest cheerers that Smoky had heard from the crowd.

''So tell me literally everything there is to know about yourself Smoky, and do not skip out on any of the juicy details.'' Sardonyx said, the audience then cheered on and even whooped in amazement.

''Well...heh...I like, uh, long walks through the Kintergarten.'' Smoky said with a bit of laughter. The audience even laughed along with her too, especially Bismuth, Jade, Connie and Imperia. ''Uh wait, actually it's where I sorta...pow...became me. And, uh...pow...beat Jasper.'' Smoky explained, Lapis then realised how Jasper was beaten and smiled slightly.

''Oh that Jasper! Always running 'round Kindergartens and causing trouble! Boy, that didn't quite work out as well for her as she thought. Maybe she should go back to _preschool_ , am I right, folks?'' Sardonyx joked with the punchline right before the audience laughed. ''Yeah. She lost her mind in a corrupted fusion. I guess you could say she has a... _short fuse_?'' Smoky joked, the audience and Sardonyx then laughed at Smoky's joke before Smoky realised about the crowd's laughter besides the other gems' as she took the mug off of Sardonyx's desk.

''Heh, easy crowd, huh? Where'd you get 'em?'' Smoky asked curiously before Sardonyx revealed everything herself behind the rest of the crystal gems. ''I made them myself. But Smoky, I think what we all really want to know is _who_ are _you?_ Who is... _Smoky Quartz?_ '' Sardonyx said, pressing her luck to try and get some answers from Smoky.

Despite the fact that Peridot, Lapis and Imperia were annoyed by this, Bismuth watched to see what the outcome would be. ''Eh. Well, between the fight and now, I've only really existed for like ten minutes before Jasper got corrupted, so I...I dunno, but I do know how to do this!'' Smoky said, summoning her yo-yo and performing a trick. ''This one's called 'Sad Baby in a Diaper!'' She said as the audience and even the crystal gems applauded towards the trick.

''Yes, the yo-yo. Seen it, lived it, loved it...but what about the _rest_ of your game?'' Judging from her words, Sardonyx was still wanting to find out more about Smoky. ''I ain't exactly a deck of cards here.'' Smoky joked, causing the audience to laugh yet again.

Just then, Smoky thought up something new. ''Oh, I can lick my elbow. I have three of them now.'' She said before sticking her tongue out to lick her elbows. Connie was a little grossed out by this and mainly the other gems thought that it wasn't good enough.

''We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors!'' After speaking, Sardonyx snapped her fingers and the overhead light went out. This managed to get Smoky's attention and also meant that the other gems weren't able to see for the next few minutes.

''Listen Smoky, let's just talk...fusion to fusion.'' Sardonyx began to speak as she pulled out a make up duster. ''That's a nice yo-yo, but I would like to know the yo- _you_.'' She replied. Smoky was asking about what Sardonyx needed to know before the brown fusion laughed as soon as she was brushed on the cheek with the duster.

All the while, Connie looked absolutely confused. ''Er...is this part of the show?'' She asked, Bismuth then said it was all part of what Sardonyx occasionally did which made her understand why she was viewing this.

''Smoky. There's bound to be way more to you than just... a yo-yo.'' Sardonyx said to Smoky before she tossed the makeup duster aside with quite a loud crash of broken glass. She then reached behind her back and brought four pencils out in each hand. ''You're a fusion like me and the others, you're so full of surprises! You just don't know it yet.'' She continued.

''Yeah. You're right, I guess that's how all surprises work!'' Smoky agreed, Sardonyx then tapped her pencils on her desk while thinking. She then opened them with an idea in store for Smoky. ''I've got it!'' She said before twirling her arms and throwing the pencils away.

There was a scream off stage but luckily nobody was injured. ''Every fusion gets something new...a new power, a new weapon...'' Sardonyx explained. It was true, all those Fusions that Steven had encountered all had weapons...despite the fact that he didn't know what one of those fusions' weapons was.

''Like a yo-yo?'' Smoky said with excitement ''Yes...but a whole lot _better_. So let's find out what's _new_ about _you_!'' Sardonyx said as she snapped her fingers to bring the spot light back on, the audience and the gems then cheered because of this.

''Aaaand, welcome back! Don't those cartoon and OC characters make you want to buy those products? I sure hope so, other wise I'd be off air!'' Sardonyx said before she and her audience laughed. ''Anyway, we have a new segment for you all tonight. That's right, everyone, it's time to ''Hit. That. Bird.'' Sardonyx said, revealing a mountain shaped prop with spring-loaded birds.

''During Opal's adventures with Steven at the Sky Spire, she was able to take down a flock of bird monsters with er very own bow.'' Sardonyx explained, showing a video of the past when Steven, Amethyst and Pearl went to get the Heaven Beetle from the Sky Spire. The video was also the ' _Footage Courtesy of Cartoon Network._ '

''So, let's see if you've got her _Opal_ escent aim. Whaddya say, Smoky? Are you ready to ''Hit that Bird?'' Sardonyx said before handing Smoky a bow and quiver with four arrows. ''Oh! Oh wow. A bow is kinda like a yo-yo, right? Except if it's string went this-a-ways and hmm...'' Smoky trailed off, Connie and the other gems were a little worried that Smoky wasn't gonna complete the challenge correctly because of this.

That was around the time when Sardonyx pulled out an alarm clock which started. ''Let's start, shall we? Time is an impatient thing!'' She said before stepping to the side for Smoky. One target appeared for Smoky and she tried to hit it, but she ended up missing it. She tried again but the same thing kept happening over and over again, she kept missing the targets.

In fact, some of the arrows shot quite near Sardonyx and one even twisted her bow around. Suddenly, the alarm clock went off. ''Uh oh! Time's up! Now let's see. The score tallies to...'' She said before calculating every hit Smoky made, she then sighed sadly before giving her the answer. ''Zero.''

The audience, even including Connie and the other gems pitied Smoky. Connie was a little upset for Smoky, so the three armed fusion decided to turn it all around with a joke. ''Well I guess I'm a real... _bow-zo_?'' She said, the audience then laughed at the joke and it even made Connie feel a little better.

''Well, whaddya say we move onto our next segment everybody?'' Sardonyx said before leading Smoky to a faurground hammer strength test machine with a few pictures. From the lowest to highest, there were pictures of Pearl, Stevonnie, Garnet, Bismuth, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Ammolite and at the very top was Sugilite herself. ''Here we are everybody, I call this segment...'' Sardonyx began before letting a familiar voice finish for her. ''You like that Little man?'' Sugilite's voice spoke. ''Cause everybody love a good callback.'' Sadonyx joked and the audience laughed along with her.

''She's not actually in this episode, do we still need to pay her? Yes? Fair enough.'' Sardonyx said quietly before switching back to her usually loud voice. ''Now it's no secret that us fine fusions pack an extra punch, but Sugilite is a standout for being a heavy-hitting powerhouse!'' Sardonyx said, showing another video with the footage of Cartoon Network, this time, Sugilite's footage was shown with everything she went through in the past like destroying the communication hub, nearly defeating Pearl and even helping Ammolite take out the Ruby fusion.

''..But maybe you've got something to top Sugilite's swing?'' Sardonyx said to Smoky. ''Um, maybe?'' She said with a hint of nervousness and confidence. ''Ok, this isn't gonna end well.'' Jade whispered, fearing the worst case scenario for Smoky. Connie was a little nervous too, but she decided to watch anyway.

Sardonyx then kicked up and spun a mallet through the air before giving it to Smoky. ''All you have to do is just hit the base with this mallet, and then we'll see how you measure up.'' After Smoky understood what to do and went over to the strength tester.

The brown fusion then slammed the mallet on the base...but it only went as far as Pearl's picture. ''Is that all you got?'' Sugilite's voice said mocking Smoky. Connie and Jade were nervous because of this. ''Oooh, you were very close. An extra spin around always helps me!'' Sardonyx said before spinning her arms and body around and laughing with her audience.

''An extra spin, huh? Okay...'' Smoky said before spinning in a complete circle and bringing down the mallet a little harder...but it wasn't any better as she only got as far as Garnet's picture. ''Ha ha! Nice try!'' Sugilite's voice said mockingly again. ''What?! Ok, one more try.'' Smoky said with a little bit of anger. She then slammed her mallet down one final time and reached Bismuth's picture...but that wasn't any better either.

''You. Ain't. Nothing!'' Sugilite mocked again. Smoky was surely angry about how Sugilite was mocking her. It even annoyed Bismuth in the background too. ''Come on, surely I'm not that weak...am I?'' She asked Jewel. ''I don't know, but from what I've heard, Sugilite was powerful.'' She said quietly.

''Hmm...yess well... Something isn't just hitting right here. Perhaps you're just strong _in a different way_. We'll find out in just a moment. Play us over to stage right, Jorge.'' Sardonyx said as she walked over to Smoky again. Smoky was a little confused about a few things until Sardonyx put her hand on her for reasurance.

''Ok, don't worry about that crowd. Don't worry about Jorge. It's only you, me, Connie, Bismuth and the other for now.'' Sardonyx reassured. ''Heh, no duh. Actually, who's Jorge?'' Smoky asked out of curiosity. ''Smoky, you're holding out on me. I'm ready to see one of your greatest event.'' After speaking Smoky quite agreed with Sardonyx.

The pair of them then went over to a bulls-eye target that hung from a rope. ''Now then, Alexandrite has a throat full of flames. Whether that's the cause of her raspy voice is up for debate, but there's no room for questions when she attacks, exhaling a burning blaze. So I call this segment...''Breath of Fire!'' Sardonyx explained as she showed the battle of Alexandrite and Malachite to everyone.

''Uh, Sardonyx...I don't know...'' Smoky said with an uneasy thought in her mind. ''C'mon Smoky. Just step up and see if you can spit some elemental chaos at the target!'' Sardonyx said as she led the three armed fusion to the target. Smoky then took a few deep breaths before she leaned forwards and let out a small burp which caused the target to wave slightly.

From how funny this was, Peridot laughed out loud which somewhat embarrassed Smoky in a way. Smoky then let out an embarrassed laugh too. Bismuth and Connie then joined in too. To prevent more embarrassing laughs from Peridot, Shadow Agate merely rolled her eyes in disgust.

''Ha ha, we seem to be experiencing some magical difficulties, but please don't change the channel! There must be some common thread between Steven and Amethyst that heightened by their fusion...'' Sardonyx said to herself before thinking what the possible powers of Smoky could be.

''I dunno Sards, I guess zero plus zero equals zero.'' Smoky joked about herself, the audience then laughed while Sardonyx kept thinking. ''Something they both think, something they both do.'' She kept speaking to herself. ''They say that two wrongs don't make a right. I guess I'm Living proof that it's true!''

''I just one big, super-wrong, good-for-nothing dud with a yo-yo!'' The audience continued to laugh about Smoky's jokes, but by then Bismuth was starting to get worried about Sardonyx. Once she saw the triple fusion get embarrassed, she tried to get Lapis and the others to get out of the temple door. They wouldn't even budge a bit while they were all laughing.

''They wanted to impress us...they were planning this all morning, we hijacked their show! I was just excited! IT'S NOT ABOUT US!'' And with that final yell, the studio goes completely dark again like before. Connie and the other gems were a bit frightened and confused about what was going on.

But once they saw Sardonyx's, they knew that she was Separated. Despite the fact that Bismuth got a glimpse of Ruby and Sapphire, she was more aware of the more bigger problem.

Once Garnet and Pearl were completely separated from Sardonyx, the room lit up but the place started to Collapse and whilst Garnet and Pearl were caught up in this, Bismuth, Jade and Imperia got the gems to get out of Sardonyx's room as fast as possible.

''What's happening?!'' Smoky asked in panic. ''Yeah, why's everything collapsing?'' Citrine asked further. ''It's Sardonyx! If she's not here, the room Can't exist!'' Garnet replied to the two gems. ''And since she's not here now, the whole place is breaking apart...with _us_ in it!'' Bismuth explained the situation further. ''Oh well that's comforting!'' Lapis said sarcastically in panic.

''Garnet!'' ''Pearl!'' The pair of them yelled for each other. Suddenly, the sign collapsed between the pair of them and blowing a huge hole in the floor in the process. Pearl, Peridot, Connie and Garnet were trapped on the ledges of the hole and trying to keep themselves from falling in.

Smoky then noticed the temple door and figured a plan. ''Jade, you Imperia and Citrine go. I'll be right behind you!'' Smoky said, Jade nodded her head before grabbing Citrine and getting Imperia to follow her.

Then in that moment of action, Smoky then rushed towards Pearl and grabbed her before summoning her yo-yo. She then threw it right through the Temple Door Curtain and use it as a grappling hook before then grabbed Garnet with her third arm.

Lapis tried flying out of the room too, but that was before she noticed Peridot barely hanging onto the edge. ''L..Lapis!'' Peridot cried out, desperately trying to keep herself from falling. ''Peri!'' Lapis said in worry, not knowing what she was doing, the blue gem then went back for Peridot and grabbed her before the ledge broke off.

Bismuth on the other hand jumped up and as soon as she made contact with them, they all went flying into Steven's living room.

* * *

In Steven's living room

Imperia, Jade and Citrine went to check on Smoky and the others after making sure that all the crystal gems were out of the room.

Suddenly, Smoky, Garnet, Pearl, Bismuth, Lapis, Connie and Peridot came flying out of the door and landed right in the living room, and right on top of the trio. Crashing into the living room had also cause Steven and Amethyst to unfuse from Smoky Quartz.

Peridot then groaned before getting on her hands and knees groaning. ''Er...Peri?'' Lapis said nervously. When the green gem looked towards Lapis, she noticed that she was looking at her right in the face. ''Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry, I didn't...'' Peridot started to apologise with panic. Lapis actually stopped her there in order to calm her down.

''It's ok Peridot, I'm just glad you're safe.'' Lapis said, huggin her barn mate with worry. Seeing as how the others, even Connie were hurt or nearly died, Steven couldn't help but feel terrible for the rough landing. ''Er...sorry for the rough landing.'' He apologised. Amethyst groaned in pain which kinda made him feel even more worried.

Their reaction however, was nothing like he expected. ''What are you even talking about?!'' Pearl said with absolute glee. ''That was amazing.'' Garnet added, ruffling Steven's hair as he laughed. ''Yeah, you should have been there when we took on Jasper with Imperia.'' Peridot said with amazement. ''Yeah Pairl! Eet eez zé whule reason zat Amethyst was abuhl to come bak to hair uld sénses lik you wentéd hair to bé!'' Citrine explained to Pearl.

When that happened, Pearl hugged Amethyst for helping Steven. ''Oh Amethyst! You've really been such a great influence on Steven!'' She said excitingly. ''Thanks well...it's kinda the other way around. Meaning Steven was the good influence on me.'' Amethyst replied sheepishly.

Lapis and Connie then looked towards Steven before they both ran over and hugged the young boy. ''Wow, that's so kind of you Steven.'' Connie said happily as Steven blushed sheepishly. ''Yeah, maybe someday you could inspire m...er...Peridot?'' Lapis said in agreement. Oddly, it sounded as if she wanted to fuse with Steven there for a second, but he dismissed the thought.

''With those words of inspiration, you could inspire anyone Steven.'' Imperia said proudly. Even the other members of the crystal gems agreed with the topaz.

''You never told any of us that Smoky's yo-yo can grapple onto things.'' Garnet said in amazement of the yo-yo's capabilities. ''It's able to do so much more stuff than just Grapple. It's can be used as a fan or even for a whirlwind.'' Steven explained to everyone.

''Wait...so does Smoky use it as a lasso or flail like Sugilite's?'' Jewel asked curiously. ''It's way better than Sugilite's flail!'' Amethyst said, correcting Pearl. Steven and the others kept talking about Smoky Quartz and her abilities which was really great. Amethyst then started explaining how Smoky used the yo-yo for her advantage in beating Jasper

While everyone talked about that, Bismuth was busy making a chart. It was mainly to do with fusions of herself, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, Steven/Rose and whoever else she could think of.

''Hmm, this seems right. From what the girls have told me so far.'' She said to herself before showing the chart to the her friends. ''Hey guys, check this out.'' Bismuth called to the gang who turned in her direction and looked at her fusion chart.

 _Pearl/Amethyst = Opal - New fusion of the crystal gems. Weapon: Energy Bow, Special abilities: Archery, Gem bubbling Arrows and Water walking._

 _Steven/Amethyst = Smoky Quartz - Three armed fusion. Weapon: Yo-yo, Special abilities: Yo-yo spining abilities._

 _Steven/Pearl = Rainbow Quartz - Dancing fusion. Weapon: Unknown, Special abilities: Acrobatics._

 _Bismuth/Pearl = Ammolite - Incredible helper for the crystal gems. Weapon: Baton, Special abilities: Ability enhancing._

 _Amethyst/Citrine = Ametrine - Unknown fusion so far. Weapon: Unknown, Special abilities: Unknown._

 _Steven/Lapis = ?_

 _Steven/Peridot = ?_

 _Peridot/Lapis = ?_

Garnet/Peridot = ?

Garnet/Steven = ?

''What's all this Bismuth?'' Jade asked curiously. ''It's a fusion chart. A way of studying what a new fusion's abilities and weapon is when we first encounter her.'' Bismuth explained, she then explained that most of the credit came from Variscite.

Everyone was then amazed by what the pair was able to accomplish. Even Peridot was interesting with the fusion between her and Lapis. ''Hey Lapis, do you think that we can fuse someday?'' She said to her barnmate in excitement. Lapis looked toward Peridot before giving her answer. ''Don't even count on it for now.'' She said with a smirk before walking over to the warp pad and warped back to the barn. Bismuth and the others laughed at Peridot's failed attempt to fuse with Lapis.

''Ugh, of course she wouldn't.'' Peridot groaned. ''Don't worry Peridot, you'll get your chance, but give her time.'' Steven reasured Peridot.

''Yeah, you're right. Well, anyways I gotta go. See you around. Come on Imperia, Citrine, Nephrites.'' Peridot said. Imperia, Jade, her crew and Citrine then followed Peridot before warping over to the barn. ''Wow, I guess they've really gotten use to the barn now.'' Steven thought.

Everyone then decided to have a break while Bismuth worked on how to improve Steven's shield which could also improve Smoky's yo-yo.

Overall, today had been a great day. Especially with Smoky Quartz around...until Pearl forgot that she didn't add in Jade's triple fusion.

* * *

 **And there we have it everyone.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it and be sure to stay tuned for then next chapter.**

 **Let me know in the comments what you think of this chapter.**


	4. Mindful Education

**Greetings from Negaboss2000**

 **Here with a remake of Mindful Education**

 **Now due to a glitch, I've had to remake this whole chapter because it was somehow replaced by one of the other stories due to a glitch**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Mindful Education (Remake)**

A few days after the revelation of Smoky Quartz

Connie went over to Steven's place for her usual sword training, only...she wasn't as enthusiastic as she normally was when she knocked on the door.

Steven then answered the door, who for some reason, lost all of his hair. "Lovely day, isn't it?" The young boy asked with a smirk. "Yeah, I guess." Connie said effortlessly, taking no notice as she walked over to the coffee table, even shocking Steven in the process as he followed her.

"Ya know, uh, my dad told me I should expect this at some point, but I didn't think it would happen overnight." Steven said, trying to get Connie to notice once again. "Right, yeah." She said, causing Steven to get a little bit annoyed that his friend was missing out something important about him.

"Connie, I'm bald!" He said, finally giving up on the joke all together. "Oh, what happened?" She asked, causing the young boy to stop the joke. "Nothing, it was just a joke." Steven said, taking off the elastic cap from his head. "Oh, ok." Connie replied, suddenly gaining Steven's attention on _why_ she didn't get the joke.

"Hey, are you ok?" Steven asked, but didn't get an answer when the warp pad went off, revealing Garnet, Bismuth and Pearl. "Steven, Connie! I hope you two are ready for today's special lesson." Pearl said with excitement, causing Connie to look up in concern. "Oh no, was I supposed to bring something?" She asked, feeling like she forgot something. "Just yourselves." Garnet replied with a smile. "Garnet said she's going to sit in. She's very excited to see you fight as Stevonnie." Pearl said with a good attitude.

"Oh! Right! Fusion training." Connie said with realisation. "I even made a sign. Woooop." Garnet said, pulling out a sign she had made herself. "This side is for both of you, and this side is for Stevonnie. It's two signs in one. A fusion sign." Garnet explained, revealing the two sides.

"Heheheheh, fusion joke." Steven laughed with excitement before Connie laughed weakly. "If that's not good enough, then I'm glad to let you know it's also gonna be tied in with my training for the others along with Imperia and Jade. It's been a while since they were all in shape." Bismuth said, explaining that the fusion training would also take place as the catch up training for the Crystal Gems.

"Cool, now we'll finally get to see the others in action." Steven replied with excitement. "Yeah, that's great." Connie said, trying to sound excited.

* * *

At the Sky Arena

Garnet was sitting on the stairs along with Lapis, Peridot, Citrine, her sister Amethyst and even Jade's two remaining crew members. All the while, Pearl was preparing Steven and Connie for another training fight whilst Bismuth gathered up the remaining members of the Crystal Gems and even included Jade and Imperia too.

"Ready kids?" Pearl asked, having got the last of the holo-pearls ready to fight. "Yes, ma'am!" Steven called over to Pearl before noticing Connie saying anything. "Connie." He said as he quickly elbowed Connie. "Yes, ma'am!" Connie said in a rush.

All the while, Garnet was cheering Steven on along with Amethyst, Citrine, Lapis and Peridot. "Ste-ven! Con-nie! Whoo!" They all went with excitement. The two nephrite pilots were also cheering their captain on, and Imperia too.

"You rocks better be ready, because here comes the thunder!" Bismuth said, signalling Pearl to activate the holo-pearls' attack mode. " _Initiating fusion dance._ " They all said before doing a robotic fusion dance and fusing into bigger holo-pearls.

"Come at us foes!" They said, immediately getting the Crystal Gems riled up. "Heh, this is where the fun begins." Sphalerite said with determination, summoning her weapon and preparing to fight along with the others.

Steven and Connie then did their fusion dance before fusing into Stevonnie, causing Garnet to turn the sign around to the other side. "Let's Dance." Stevonnie said as she summoned her shield and sword. "Let us...begin!" Pearl said, allowing the holo-pearls to attack.

The crystal gems then engaged in battle, taking on a couple of holo-pearls at once, which made the fight really exciting for many other gems. During the fight, Stevonnie got to see all the others in action.

 ** _Jewel - Pearl's long lost daughter._**

The silver pearl then helped out Stevonnie by stabbing her sword into the ground and in the process, trapped the leg of the holo-pearl. This allowed Stevonnie to strike at holo-pearl without hesitation.

"Thanks Jewel, really good techniques you have." Stevonnie said with a complement. "Why thank you. I've been working on it." Jewel replied with a blush.

 ** _Shadow Agate - The darkest Agate of them all._**

 ** _Bixbite - An overcooked terraformer who manipulates land._**

With the help of Stevonnie, Bix used her land manipulating powers to flatten two holo-pearls. Bix was nearly poofed, but thankfully Shadow Agate stepped in front of the oncoming Holopearl and glared at it, immediately turning it to glass.

"Wow, nice glare Shadow." Bixbite said with excitement, only to earn a glare from the agate herself. "Er...ok, good talk." The short gem said before moving onto the next holo-pearl.

 ** _Ice Quartz - A gem created with the power of ice._**

 ** _Butterfly Wing Jasper - One of the many quartz types that Pink Diamond created._**

From above, Butterwing used her bow to fire multiple arrows like Opal. Stevonnie thanked the quartz who nodded with approval. Ice was then seen, freezing her foes into an ice sculpture before she used her pickaxes to finish them off.

 ** _Peacock Topaz - A fusion of four different Topazes._** ** _Components: Azotic Topaz (Azzy), Blue Topaz (Blue), Mystic Topaz (Mysti) and White Topaz (Whi)_**

With a bigger fusion on their hands, Stevonnie ended up meeting Peacock the hard way when they bumped into each other. Knowing the best option, Peacock decided to split up into her four components, taking down the holo-fusion by tripping it up. "Nice job Mysti," "Eh, it was nothing Azzy." Two of the components said to each other.

 ** _Sphalerite - The Trickster of the Crystal gems._**

 ** _Variscite - The plan strategist for the crystal gems._**

Stevonnie then went over to the two gems who never got along with each other. "Hey there Variscite, any plans to take these gems down?" Stevonnie asked the green gem. "Indeed I do Stevonnie. Arlright, let's see...if I use my bamboo stick to take those foes out in one go then..." Variscite started, but cut off when multiple versions of Sphalerite appeared and sliced the holo-pearl.

"Nevermind. Thanks Sphal." Stevonnie said before moving on. "Hmph, showoff." Variscite said in annoyance. "What's wrong Vari? Didn't you live a little?" Sphalerite said with a smirk before dodging another holo-pearl and taking her down.

 ** _Mali Garnet - A once proud gem commander who suffered deformation from a crack on her gem._**

Due to her cracked gem, Mali had trouble fighting and could barely teleport. Thankfully Stevonnie took down the pearls without warning. "Thank you, kind human..." Mali said with approval. Stevonnie then nodded before faving one final holo-pearl.

This holo-pearl was tougher than the rest and it was really hard to beat it. Luckily, Stevonnie jumped towards a nearby pillar, somehow floating in the process. Everyone was amazed by this new technique. "Alright! Stevonnie's got floating powers! Looks like it's time to finish the job!" Stevonnie said, immediately wall jumping towards the holo-pearl to slice through it.

However...somehow, Stevonnie started to hallucinate, seeing the holo-pearl in front instantly turning into a young boy, someone who seemed frightened. "Huh? Who's..." Stevonnie began on Steven't half, but cut off by Connie's half. "I'm sorry!" She said, immediately missing the holo-pearl by inches and making everyone gaps in concern.

Stevonnie then bounced off the ground and unfused in the process. "Steven! Connie!" Amethyst said with fright. "Woah, are you clods ok?!" Peridot then said with panic. "I told you fusion was bad for me, but nobody...oh nevermind." Lapis said, jumping to conclusions before some of the gems glared at her.

"Ugh, I'm ok. But, what happened?" Steven said in confusion before turning towards Connie who seemed to be freaking out. Eventually, Connie ran off with a panic. "Connie, wait!" Steven said, running after her in the process with Bismuth following closely behind.

"Uh...what was that about?" Amethyst asked, only for the others to shrug in response.

* * *

On the steps

Steven and Bismuth ran out of the arena to find Connie, and quickly did once they spotted her on the steps, and boy she looked pretty upset about something. Without hesitation, Steven and Bismuth then went over to the stairs and sat beside the young girl. "Hey, what's wrong?" Steven asked with concern.

"I...I did something terrible at school, and I don't know what to do." Connie confessed before Steven placed his hand on her shoulder. "That doesn't sound like you. Right Bismuth?" He said, turning towards Bismuth. "Yeah, and I know we're alone here, so why don't you tell us?" She asked, hoping to help Connie.

"I beat someone up." Connie explained, pushing Steven's arm off her shoulder gently before shocking the duo. "What?" Bismuth and Steven said in shock. "It happened with some kid I didn't know. He just bumped into me accidently in the hallway. I was so startled by it, my training instincts kicked in and I just reacted. I was so embarrassed, I just ran away." Connie admitted, really letting it get the better of her.

"Come on Connie, you didn't mean to hurt him. That's the main thing." Steven said before sighing. "He's right, sometimes you hurt people, or lie to them by accident. Sometimes it's best not to think about it." Bismuth explained with shame, looking at her gem-shattering weapon, the breaking point.

After their fight in the forge, Bismuth didn't dismantle the weapon. For some reason, she mentioned that it was only for bigger problems only. "You're right Bismuth, sure you've hurt us in the past, but...wait, what do you mean by Lie?" Steven asked. "Well, I was never from a village of Bismuths, I came from a gamma kintergarten on homeworld. Some of the girls I mentioned, they're different than how I said they were. So there." Bismuth said with a deep sigh.

"Well...thanks for telling us. I guess not thinking about it is the best thing." Connie said, calming down a little bit. "Hold the phone." Garnet's voice said, causing the gang to see her on the top staircase. "Now give the phone to me." She finished immediately, figuring out what was going on.

* * *

Later that Night on the beach

Garnet had brought the two kids there to try and help them stay together as Stevonnie during a fight. She was also joined by Opal to help support her. "For a fusion to work, there has to be balance. An imbalance can cause your fusion to lose touch with reality, see things that aren't there, and eventually fall apart." Garnet started before allowing the taller fusion to play her part.

"That is to say if one of you is falling apart, your fusion will as well." Opal added, causing Steven and Connie to look at each other in concern. "To find balance, you must understand your feelings. To understand your feelings, you must see them clearly without running from them." Garnet then said, finishing the last part.

"See them clearly?" Connie asked in confusion. "Opal and I will show you, but first, we need Stevonnie." Garnet said before Steven fused with Connie. Only then did Garnet gesture a meditating position to them, and even opal did so too. "Close your eyes." Garnet said to Stevonnie. "Ok." The fusion said, closing her eyes. "Breath." Opal then said as Stevonnie did so.

"Here, in darkness, everything's okay." Garnet said. "Listen to the waves, and let them fade away." Opal then added. "Here comes a thought." The two fusions spoke before Stevonnie suddenly opened her eyes to see she was in another fusion realm and how both fusions were affected by worries, even herself.

 **[0:00] Here Comes a Thought -** **Estelle Fanta Swaray, Aimee Mann and Amanda Joy Michalka**

 **[Garnet]**

 _~ Take a moment to think of just_

 _~ flexibility, love, and trust._

 **[Opal]**

 _~ Take a moment to think of just_

 _~ flexibility, love, and trust._

 **[Garnet]**

 _~ Here comes a thought_

 _~ that might alarm you._

 _~ What someone said_

 _~ and how it harmed you._

 **[Opal]**

 _~ Something you did_

 _~ that failed to be charming._

 _~ Things that you said are_

 _~ suddenly swarming_

 **[Garnet and Opal]**

 _~ and, oh. You're losing sight. You're losing touch._

 _~ All these little things seem to matter so much_

 _~ that they confuse you._

 _~ That I might lose you._

 **[Garnet]**

 _~ Take a moment. Remind yourself to_

 _~ take a moment and find yourself._

 **[Opal]**

 _~ Take a moment to ask yourself if_

 _~ this is how we fall apart._

 **[Garnet and Opal]**

 _~ But it's not. But it's not. But it's not. But it's not. But it's not._

 _~ It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

 _~ You've got nothing. Got nothing. Got nothing. Got nothing to fear._

 _~ I'm here. I'm here. I'm here._

 **[Stevonnie]**

 _~ Here comes a thought_

 _~ that might alarm me._

 _~ What someone said_

 _~ and how it harmed me._

 _~ Something I did_

 _~ that failed to be charming._

 _~ Things that I said are_

 _~ suddenly swarming_

 _~ and, oh. I'm losing sight. I'm losing touch._

 _~ All these little things seem to matter so much_

 _~ that they confuse me._

 **[Garnet, Opal and Stevonnie]**

 _~ That I might lose me._

 _~ Take a moment. Remind yourself to_

 _~ take a moment and find yourself._

 _~ Take a moment and ask yourself if_

 _~ this is how we fall apart._

 _~ But it's not. But it's not. But it's not. But it's not. But it's not._

 _~ It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

 _~ I've got nothing. Got nothing. Got nothing. Got nothing to fear._

 _~ I'm here. I'm here. I'm here._

 _~ And it was just a thought. Just a thought. Just a thought. Just a thought. Just a thought._

 _~ It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

 _~ We can watch. We can watch. We can watch. We can watch them go by._

 _~ From here. From here. From here._

 **[Stevonnie]**

 _~ Take a moment to think of just_

 _~ flexibility, love, and trust._

 _~ Take a moment to think of just_

 _~ flexibility, love, and trust._

* * *

The Next Day

Steven was reading a book, one that he discovered at the library with Connie one time. The book was known as Buddy Budwick's journal and it had a lot of important parts of the world in it. One that Steven hadn't seen yet, and one in the desert which was known as The Lonely Wanderer, a figure who had been walking the desert without getting tired or even roasting in the boiling heat.

He was looking at what the figure might be, when suddenly, Connie burst through the door with her enthusiasm back to normal. "Steven, I'm ready to train! I'm so glad we talked to Garnet. I really figured out what I needed to do! I talked to Jeff. That's his name, by the way." Connie said, pulling up a picture of herself and the kid who was actually ok afterall.

"Whoa. You did it." Steven said with amazement. "I apologized and he immediately understood! He actually wanted to know if I could show him some moves." Connie replied with a laugh of relief. "That's great!" Steven said as he put down the book and followed Connie over to the Coffee table.

"You know, it's funny. I spent all that time feeling bad instead of doing something about it. It's like I was trying really hard not to think about it, and that just made things worse. Now that I've got a clear head, we'll do so much better as Stevonnie. Anyway, I'm gonna change." Connie admitted with a smile before going into the bathroom to change.

Steven then waved with relief, glad Connie was able to sort things out, however...he then noticed a single butterfly which lay upon the hilt of his mother's sword. _"_ _I watched the leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz, **Shatter Pink Diamond**!_ _"_ Eyeball's voice said, ringing through Steven's head over and over, making him a little bit concerned about whether or not everything he heard about his mother was true.

"Steven? Are you ok?" Connie asked, snapping Steven back to reality before he looked back at the scabbard to see the butterfly had vanished. "Y...Yeah...I'm ok. Let's go." Steven said before he and Connie warped off to the arena, oblivious to the red mist following them in secret.

* * *

At the Sky Arena once again

Stevonnie was coping much better than yesterday. They were currently fighting huger holo-fusions along with Ametrine, a fusion of Amethyst and her sister Citrine and Rainbow Nephrite, a fusion between Jade and her two crew members.

Ametrine used her grapling gauntlets to smash the holo-fusions whilst Rainbow Nephrite smashed the rest of them. Stevonnie then took care of the rest with the help of her impressive maneuvers and techniques. "Great technique Stevonnie! Keep it up!" Pearl called over to the human fusion as she dodged an incoming Holo-Pearl. "Yeah, you rock!" Imperia added with amazement. "Thanks guys!" Stevonnie said before engaging a few more holo-pearls.

"Lapis, we gotta fuse to see what we can do sometime soon!" Peridot said to Lapis who gasped at first, but then looked towards Peridot with a smirk. "Yeah, don't even go there." She said before looking back towards Stevonnie fighting along with the other fusions.

All the while, the two gems failed to notice the same red mist floating towards Stevonnie and infected her mind with something. "Alright, time for the big finish!" Stevonnie said before thrusting her sword at the holo-pearl, when all of a sudden...

 _Stevonnie had begun to hallucinate once again. Only it wasn't coming from Connie's half, rather...it came from Steven's half, mainly with the terrifying memories of fighting Bismuth back in the forge. "Uh, uh... Oh, oh, uh..." The fusion stated as Bismuth looked up at her in pain. "You shoulda shattered me back then..." She said before poofing into a swarm of butterflies._

 _"Oh no. It's happening again!" Stevonnie said in fear as she backed away slowly. "Wait...just now...was that...?" Stevonnie said on Connie's half before being cut off by Steven's half. "Bismuth..." She said once again. "Steven...that means..." "Oh no. It's coming from me now!" Speaking to herself, Stevonnie was absolutely afraid, mainly about everything bad Steven thought he did._

"Stevonnie!" Garnet's voice yelled, snapping the fusion back to reality. "Uh..." Stevonnie managed to say as most of the crystal gems were quite concerned for her sanity. "What's going on? What's happening to them?" Pearl asked with confusion and concern. "Zey look lik they're abut to split." Citrine said in concern, holding Amethyst's hand. "Garnet, what should we do?! We have to do something besides sit here and do nothing about it!" Variscite complained in fright.

"They've got this!" Garnet said, ordering the others to stand down. "Y-yeah, I'm... _I'm...ugh." Stevonnie started, but was cut off when she began to hallucinate again. Only this time, Jasper was standing right in front of them with a corrupted arm. "Jasper..." Stevonnie started, but was immediately cut off._

 _"You can't manipulate me Rose Quartz!" Jasper growled as she grew to a much bigger size while Stevonnie backed away in fear. "I-I tried to help you. But you wouldn't listen." She said before facing another enemy, or two._

 _"IDIOT!" Black Nephrite said, attempting to hit Stevonnie with her chain whip. "I...I told you to stop! I-I had no choice." Stevonnie said before Eyeball attempted to crush the fusion in anger._ _"_ _Don't act surprised, Rose Quartz! You shattered a Diamond!_ _" The one eyed ruby said in anger._

 _"_ _I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be..._ _" Stevonnie started on Steven's half, but was cut off by Connie's half. "No! Steven it's ok! It's ok to think about it!" She said before seeing herself surrounded by Bismuth, Jasper, Ruby and Black Nephrite which wasn't a good sign._

 _"_ _Oh, but I didn't just disappear, did I?! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!"_

 _"_ _WHERE IS SHE?!_ _"_

 _"You're crueler than Rose Quartz."_

 _"_ _What kind of leader refuses give her own army the ultimate chance to WIN?!"_

 _"_ _I've been fighting since I broke free from the Earth's crust!_ _"_

 _"_ _How could you value the gems of our enemies more than our own? And look what you've done without me, without the Breaking Point!_ _"_

 _"_ _Because of what **you** did to my colony..._ _"_

 _"_ _YOU'VE! ALL! LOST!_ _"_

 _"B_ _ecause of what **you** did to my planet_ _"_

 _"_ _because of what you did to_ _My Diamond...Your Diamond...PINK DIAMOND!"_

 _"You should have listened to me, Rose! I could have taken the war all the way back towards Homeworld and I could have SHATTERED the rest of the Diamonds! I could have liberated... EVERYONE ON HOMEWORLD!"_

 _All of those words, all of his actions had fueled Steven's guilt, causing him to crumble under everyone of them. "I thought I could, but it's too much! I CAN'T DO IT!" Stevonnie screamed in guilt, causing the four gems to burst into four swarms of butterflies that flew up into the air to form something, making the fusion really nervous._

 _Stevonnie then whimpered as she saw the face of someone who Steven had been looking up to his whole life: Rose Quartz. Only she had a disappointed look upon her face, like he had let her down in every way possible. Stevonnie backed away in terror, dropping the sword in the process. "No...No..._ No, ah!" She said before falling off the edge of the arena without even realising it.

"STEVEONNIE!" The gems said, running over to the edge in fright. "OH MY STARS!" Peridot screamed in panic as she and Lapis looked at each other in horror. But while it was bad for the gems, it was even worse for Stevonnie as she gasped before screaming in terror. In the process, she unfused.

"We're falling! Steven, let's fuse again! We'll be ok if we hover!" Connie said, but then she noticed that Steven was actually crying because of those dark moments he had to go through. "S-Steven?" She said again, but this time really concerned. "I didn't want to hurt anyone!" He cried, his tears streaming out.

Connie then used the air to her advantage and swam over to Steven. "I'm sorry! None of them would let me help them! Not Jasper, not Eyeball or even Black Nephrite! I had no choice!" He yelled sadly, really letting his guilt get the better of him. "It's ok!" Connie said, attempting to reassure her friend. "NO! It's not ok!" Steven spat back sadly.

"But it's ok to think about it!" Connie then said. "It really feels so bad." Steven said, admitting that it was really getting to him. "That's ok too. There was nothing you could've done! But you did help Bismuth too, and that's something." Connie said, reminding him of how he reassured the rainbow gem in her forge.

"I know...but I really don't want to feel this way." He said. "You have to. Most times, you have to be honest about how bad it feels so you can move on. That's how it was for me. So as your friend...can you try?" Connie asked, getting Steven's attention despite the sniffle. _"Steven...you don't believe you hurt them, I know you don't..."_ Rose's voice soothingly spoke from within his mind, calming Steven down slightly, which really helped.

He mightn't have known how Rose spoke to him, but one thing was for sure...he was not going to let his guilt overcome him like this. "Ok." Steven then said before fusing back into Stevonnie and entering the mental realm once again to face the swarm of butterflies that she fell towards. "Just...breath." She said to herself as she fell through the vortex of butterflies and came out the other side, floating to the ground safely before panting with relief.

"Stevonnie!" Bismuth's voice called down towards the fusion below. Stevonnie then looked to see Bismuth being carried down by Lapis and Butterwing before they ran up to her. "Are you ok? You fell off the edge without warning and..." The rainbow gem started with concern, only to be cut off when Stevonnie teared up and ran over to her, hugging Bismuth and crying her eyes out. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt you!" She said, immediately catching Bismuth by surprise, even hearing those words.

"Hey, hey, hey...where's all this coming from?" Bismuth asked with surprise, stroking Stevonnie's hair in the process. "When you attacked me and thought I was my mom, I was really frightened. I never even realised that she poofed you because you were violent." Hearning this, Bismuth was shocked that Stevonnie was crying over something that didn't matter anymore. "So that's it..." She said before noticing Garnet and Pearl who guestured her to comfort the hybrid fusion. "It's ok Kiddo, I was furious for something that blinded my judgement. I'm...I'm sorry too." Bismuth said with reassurance, giving off a good sob too.

Worried about Stevonnie, Jade and Amethyst hurried over to the due with concern. "Hey...you guys doing ok?" Amethyst asked. "I'm ok Amethyst, I'm here." Stevonnie said before looking at Garnet as she smiled as the fusion put her thumb up for the fusion and smiled. "Flexability love and trust. That's all it takes." Garnet said, facinating Peridot and even Lapis too.

All the while, the same red mist watched what was happening in disgust. " ** _Blegh, revolting. This isn't the end Rosie. I will be back._** " After speaking, the mist then flew away, oblivious to it being spotted by Mali Garnet.

* * *

 **There you have it people.**

 **The remake of this chapter is complete. It took longer than I thought, but at least it's done now.**

 **So now I can finish the next chapters to the story, so stay tuned until then**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	5. Last one out of Beach City

**Greetings once again from Negaboss2000 ^^**

 **This chapter will mainly be focusing somewhat on Jewel, Citrine and Bismuth.**

 **Enjoy the chapter**

* * *

 **Last one out of Beach City.**

One evening at Steven's Beach house

Pearl, Jewel and Steven were sitting on the couch trying to figure out a puzzle. Which was going good...if Amethyst hadn't have shapeshifted into a ball and bounced rapidly with excitement.

All the excitement within the bouncing was shaking the table, making it hard for the trio to concentrate. ''Amethyst...'' Pearl complained. ''Do you mind not bouncing so much?'' Steven asked, agreeing with Pearl for that matter.

''You're making it hard for us to concentrate on the puzzle.'' Jewel finished. Amethyst then shapeshifted back to her usual self in midair before falling on her bottom. ''Sorry. I'm just super excited.'' She claimed happily.

Peridot, who was working on a few gadgets, looked up from her work and looked over at Amethyst. ''And how come may I ask?'' She said, hoping to get an answer. ''Greg's taking me to a show!'' Amethyst replied, gaining the attention of Bismuth, Citrine and Steven.

''A show? You mean like at the _theatre_?'' He asked, adding in a fake British accent into his voice. ''No no no, like a _rock show_! Ha, you know like a band! At a house, with a bunch of people hanging out and doing stuff!'' Amethyst said with another fake British accent as she explained why she was so excited.

''Oh man, that sounds cool!'' Steven replied as Citrine came beside him to listen. ''We have an awesome night planned too. We're doing a puzzle.'' He continued as Jewel and Pearl kept trying to find pieces of the puzzle. ''Wowee.'' Amethyst replied boringly, Citrine then groaned at her sister for not being excited.

Even Jewel said not to be disrespectful. ''Thanks for that Jewel, anyways I know it sounds tame, but it has 612 pieces, and no corners whatsoever.'' Pearl said, feeling quite happy about doing this...until Steven proved her wrong.

''I...found a corner.'' He said, picking up the puzzle piece and showing it to Pearl. ''Oh, so there...oh.'' Pearl said, sounding so surprised but then suddenly disappointed. But this also caused Peridot to laugh out loud, annoying everyone in the process.

At that moment, the door opened and in walked Steven't dad, Greg Universe. ''Hey, y'all!'' He said, getting Amethyst riled up in the process. ''Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg! So, you ready to throw down in the pit?'' Amethyst asked rhetorically, excited about tonight's events.

''No pits for me tonight. I'm sorry Amethyst, it honestly slipped my mind that Barb and Vidalia invited me over for cards.'' Greg said, explaining the bad news. ''Cards?! Ugh, who broke you guys out of the retirement home?'' Amethyst replied with annoyance.

Peridot and Citrine looked at each other in confusion on what was happening. ''Trust me, I'd love to go to the show. But Barb threatened to hold my mail if I didn't. _She isn't a woman of empty threats_.'' Greg said seriously, scaring Jewel a little.

Amethyst however, just looked more bummed out than before. ''Ugh man, forget it. I can't go show-lo, that's too boring!'' She said, walking over to the couch where Steven, Pearl and Jewel were before flopping down on top of it.

''You could hang out with us tonight.'' Jewel suggested. ''And do a puzzle? Ha, how about we fit in some knitting while you're at it too Jewel.'' Amethyst said sarcastically. Pearl became a little cross when the purple quartz spoke to her own daughter like that but shoved it aside for now.

"That's...not what she meant. As a matter of fact, _we_ could go to the show with you.'' Pearl explained to Amethyst who got up onto the couch alongside her.

''Really?'' Steven said with excitement.

''You'd do that mother?'' Jewel asked with disbelief.

''What show? Can ai come too?'' Cirtine asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

''I wouldn't mind tagging along either.'' Bismuth said, deciding that to take the night off.

''Wha?! You wanna go to a sow, with loud music and people pushing each other?'' Amethyst said as she playfully pushing Pearl's arm. ''I've done my fair share of...pushing.'' Pearl replied as she gently pushes Amethyst's arm back. ''Oooh, I think it's broken!'' The purple quartz said, pretending to feel a lot of pain.

''Yo P-dot, you wanna come?'' Amethyst asked Peri. ''Negative Amethyst, I'm too busy with trying to find out how Bismuth built this weapon or why she even built it in the first place.'' Peridot answered back as he tried to see the insides of the breaking point. ''Plus, I find Pearl absolutely boring.'' She added.

''Well...You lot just never saw me in action! Breaking every rule, taking on the great diamond authority, so I could indulge myself within the joys of life on Earth!'' Pearl said with an epic voice. ''Oh, a sky piece.'' Pearl said as she took the puzzle piece and connected it to the puzzle. ''Oh alright, I'll come.'' Peridot said in defeat.

''Nice!'' Steven said. ''Well, if you guys would like to go, you can take the Dondai!'' Greg said, lending the gang the keys to his car. ''Thank you Greg!'' Pearl replied back happily. ''Woohoo! Rock Show!'' Steven yelled with excitement.

Peridot then ran off to find someone really quick. ''Well then, let's get going then.'' Bismuth said, already excited for seeing what the show looked like. ''Hold on, Bis. just so you and Pearl know, this is a human thing, not a gem war.'' Amethyst started, allowing Citrine to finish the rest. ''Befaire you rok oot, you'ré jenna wanna buhlnd een.'' Citrine suggested to the duo.

''Well, what would you two suggest?'' Jewel asked with confusion as she wiped her silver sword.

* * *

Later at the Big Donut.

Pearl and Bismuth had a change of clothes before heading over to the Big Donut. Pearl wore a short jacket and a pair of jeans around her normal outfit, Bismuth on the other hand, wore a huge jacket and a shirt over her blacksmith outfit, it mainly covered her gem a little, but it was a perfect fit. ''Now you both are lookin' good.'' Amethyst said along with Citrine's approval.

''Um...I really don't see how this makes them look good.'' Jewel said with a nervous confusion tone. ''Oh don't worry Jewel, because now I can make it even look gooder.'' Pearl replied to her own daughter as she flipped up the jacket's collar. ''It's cooler, because the collar isn't supposed to go that way.'' Pearl said with a cool attitude.

''You a natural.'' Bismuth complemented with amazement. ''Can you speak in a proper earth language, I can hardly understand what you're saying.'' Peridot said bluntly. She had decided to bring along Lapis who didn't feel up to going anywhere but felt like it was probably going to be fun for her and the others.

Citrine and Steven meanwhile, looked at the drinks in the fridge to see what there was. ''We're almost set on snacks for the road. So we just need some beverages.'' Steven said as he took out two cans from the fridge. ''Strawberry Sugar Shock Shutdown or good old fashioned apple juice?'' Steven said, showing the two possible drinks.

''Definitely Sugar Shock Shutdown.'' Amethyst said as she took the can from Steven's hand. ''Reason beeng, Eet turns évairythéng red.'' Citrine added, taking another can for herself in the fridge. The two quartz sisters then opened their cans before shoving them in their mouths whole before eating them.

This in turn also grossed out Jewel and Lapis. ''I'll have one Steven. I think I'll try drinkin' tonight.'' Pearl said with her cool attitude. ''Wow, really? I never knew you liked apple juice.'' Steven said with amazement as he handed Pearl the can.

''There's a lot you don't know about me or any of us Steven.'' Pearl said as she tried to open the can...and failed all the same. Peridot laughed at her failed attempts but soon rightened herself with with a serious look.

''Ahem, well of course Steven. It's true, now if I recall Correctly, you wanted to ask about the Diamonds, right?'' Peridot asked Steven who nodded as he remembered saying that. ''Very well, I'll explain before we go to this...show.'' The green gem responded as she began to explain.

* * *

 _In the beginning, the great Diamond Authority were the matriarchs who ruled over homeworld and all other colonies that they possessed._

 _They planned to conquer other planets and expand their empire._

 _From the old legends, I heard that they were the original four Diamonds who started out._

 ** _First off, there's my diamond, Yellow Diamond - The war strategist and commander-in-chief of the authority._**

 _She was capable of sending armies of her gems to overthrow dozens of planets, and believe me, it wasn't pretty._

 _ **Next, there's Lapis' diamond, Blue Diamond - The diplomatic strategist of the authority who.**_

 _Unlike my clod-of-a-diamond, Blue, with her powers, was able to convince any other life forms on the planet surface to leave their homes behind immediately to make way for the expansion of the authority._

 _She always preferred to avoid starting a war with other beings as she put it._

 ** _Third on the list, is Jasper's Diamond, Rose's Diamond...Pink Diamond - the...well, let's just say she was the only Diamond with one planet and a moon._**

 _Earth was Pink Diamond's colony, her first ever one, she planed on colonising this planet, but eventually, that's where the crystal gems came in and ruined everything._

 _After that...Pink got shattered and then...well homeworld launched their final attack to stop the war. Sorry for bringing that up._

 _ **Then Red Diamond, she was the matriarch made to replace **__**Pink Diamond**._

 _When Pink was shattered, the diamonds wanted to make another version of their fallen sister, one who took more responsibilities than before...which became a bit of a failure despite her having a few colonies._

 _Red always was the one who cared more about Defective gems, which humiliated the authority in a way._

 _Luckily she hasn't been shattered...yet._

 _ **There were also other diamonds, like Purple Diamond - The Beautiful one, Green Diamond - the planetary ecologist...but enough about them.**_

 _ **Then...there's the oldest Diamond, Bismuth's Diamond...White Diamond - The Ultimate** **Matriarch**._

 _She was the original Diamond, the one who created the rest of her authority, and the overall leader of homeworld. She was always bent on having perfection, not only for her sisters but for all the gems they created...but to be honest, I think she was a real clod._

 _She could never stand the look of any defective gems. If she saw any gems who were wrong or defective, they'd be purged immediately by her orders. And the most scariest part of it all, she hasn't been seen by any gems, not even the gems in her court were seen._

 _So, Along with Yellow and Blue, Three Diamonds with abilities is enough to cause their final attack towards the rest of the rebels while the rest of the diamonds were in the process of being made._

* * *

After explaining the diamonds, Steven seemed facinated about hearing the existance of more diamonds despite hearing about Pink Diamond...until he turned his attention to Amethyst.

''So Amethyst, tell us more about this band we're seeing.'' He said, wanting to hear more about the show. ''We're going to see Mike Krol. From what I've heard, he's got that real garage vibe. Songs about being nostalgic for the suburbs.'' Amethyst replied with a cool expression.

''Coul, Ai think zis night's gonna be awesome. Don't you think Jewel?'' Citrine asked Jewel, who seemed to be distracted by something. ''Hmm? Oh, well I've never seen this band before, so it could be awesome...when you mention about that.'' She replied, just as Pearl finally managed to get her can open.

''Nostalgic for the suburbs? Psh, they've only existed for, what? 70 years?'' Pearl said with a cool attitude. ''Wow, this is definately a first for you, eh Pearl?'' Bismuth said with amazement, she then took notice to Jewel's unsure expression. ''Ok. So, when we get there, we gotta walk in like we own the place.'' Amethyst chuckled as Pearl took a sip of apple juice. ''Any suggéstshe-ons on 'ow to do zat?'' Citrine asked.

But before Amethyst could answer and as Pearl took a sip from her drink, the big donut's door opens. Pearl looked with one eye and saw someone before spitting out her juice. The person she then saw...was a girl who walked into the store, but no ordinary girl to Pearl.

This girl had long Pink hair, a gray ring pireced on her lower lip, was about taller than Pearl and roughly the same height as Bismuth and near enough to Garnet's height, had green eyes and dark gray eyeshadow, thick eyelashes, gray ear piercings on both of her ears. The girl wore a white crop top with an animal design and rolled up sleeves, dark gray pants with a ripped patch on the right at the knee, black combat boots, a jacket tied around her waist with the shades of green similar to a camouflage design. But those weren't the details that Pearl was noticing. The details of the girl that Pearl noticed...was that she looked exactly...like Rose Quartz.

Pearl stares at the girl as she walked by, even Bismuth and Jewel noticed the girl too and stared in disbelief at the girl. ''Oh, hey, right there! Thats a perfect example.'' Amethyst said pointing at the girl.

''Er...Mother?'' Jewel asked Pearl, hoping she was ok. The apple juice slipped out of her hand and fell onto the floor, spilling in the process. ''Pearl...you ok?'' Steven asked with a little concern. ''Uh...I just didn't realise humans could come with pink hair.'' Pearl said, noticing the girl's hair straight away. ''You're tellin' me Pearl. This is kind of a first for us both. Seeing a human with Pink hair.'' Bismuth stated in the same shock as Pearl.

''Oh, they don't actually have pink hair. You gotta go to the store and get this goo. It smells you bad, but it turns your hair whatever colour you want.'' Steven explained as the girl made some coffee for herself at the coffee counter. ''I got pleanty of colours in my hair, so I'm cool.'' Bismuth mentioned, waving her rainbow hair about.

''Wait...why would anyone even do such a thing?'' Jewel asked Steven with confusion. ''I was thinking the same thing Jewel.'' Pearl said, awkwardly. ''Well why don't you go and ask her?'' Steven asked, giving Pearl a good opportunity. ''Hey, yeah. We're about to go hang out with a bunch of cool humans. Go do a practice round on her. You can bring Bismuth along too if you want.'' Amethyst said in trying to encourage Pearl.

''I don't know...'' Pearl started nervously. ''Do it, do eet, do it, do eet, do it, do eet.'' Amethyst and Citrine chanted to Pearl. ''Do it, do it, do it, do...'' Peridot started, only to be cut off by Lapis hitting her on the shoulder and glaring at her. ''Oh...Sorry Lapis.'' The green gem said sheepishly.

Pearl then walked up to the mysterious girl along with Bismuth nervously. The girl meanwhile , was still fixing herself a drink. Pearl managed to peek over her shoulder before being dragged back a little by Bismuth. ''Pearl, you can't just do that to a human girl, I think it's considered creepy!'' The rainbow gem complained while whispering. ''I know, but it's been a long time since I've done this with anyone.'' Pearl whispered back annoyingly. ''Look, just act casual, ok?'' Once Bismuth finished speaking, Pearl then nodded her head before trying to act casual.

All the while, Lapis, Peridot, Jewel Citrine, Steven and Peridot were watching with surprise and amazement as this happened. Pearl tried picking up a cup casually...but she accidently knocked the entire stack of them over and failed to catch them. The girl then noticed this before looking directly at Pearl. ''I...Uh...'' Pearl started, only to see the girl walk away from her and exit the big donut, looking a little creeped out.

''Well...that could have gone better.'' Bismuth said, groaning in the process. ''Wooow, woah woah woah, wow!'' Citrine and Amethyst said in perfect unison, causing Pearl to glare at the sisters in annoyance. ''What were you talking about? That practice round went horribly wrong. Hahahahaha!'' Peridot said mockingly.

Jewel and Lapis on the other hand were more concerned about Pearl that anything Amethyst wanted her to do. ''Thing's aren't that simple Peridot. You don't know my mother like I do myself.'' The Silver Pearl said in her own mother's defence.

''Fair enough, I'm not judging you.'' Peridot said appologetically. ''I don't know why I agreed to come along with you Peri.'' Lapis said with annoyance to the current messups that were currently happening so far.

* * *

After gathering all the snacks.

Steven had gotten into the back of his dad's Dondai and buckled up in the backseat alongside Peridot, Lapis, Citrine and Amethyst. Jewel then took the passenger seat and Pearl took the driver seat.

''Come on Pearl...you did show those cups who's boss.'' Amethyst stated. ''Ai agree. Zat would show zat you rule lé big donut.'' Citrine added, oblivious to Pearl's unimpressed expression.

''Amethyst, Citrine, seatbelt.'' Pearl ordered the two quartz sisters in the back, causing them to buckle up in the process. ''Mother?'' Jewel asked, only to be harsly looked at by her own mother. ''You too Jewel.'' Hearing that scared Jewel and caused her to do so.

''Now let's go have the night of our lives.'' Pearl said roughly, sounding angry in Jewel's opinion, but to Amethyst and Citrine, they felt like Pearl was finally seeing their way. As she turned on the radio and began to drive off towards the show. Amethyst airdrumed along to the song with Citrine who airguitared.

For a while nobody spoke...until Steven realised something important. ''Wait a minute, where's Bismuth?'' He said with panic, thinking that they left her behind. ''Oh don't worry about that, she's behind us.'' Peridot stated, pointing to the boot of the car. Steven and Lapis then looked and saw that Bismuth was sitting in the boot with an unamused expression on her face. ''This is so embarressing. Note to self: rat this out to Garnet as soon as we get back to the temple.'' She said to herself.

''I still think it was a waste of time coming with you guys. I was so looking forward to watching the next season of Camp Pining Hearts and you guys just dragged me out here for this...show.'' Lapis complained with annoyance, but she did want to see more of Earth so she chuckled it off a little.

''Come on Lapis, I don't think this is gonna be a huge waste of time, I'm sure you'll like it.'' Steven said, placing his hand on her's. ''I know...but honestly, why couldn't you get any of the others to come with you?'' The water girl asked.

It was a good question, and Steven happily answered her. ''Well, Garnet said that she and Imperia were going to be practicing fighting with that telepathic arrow, Jade and her crew were having plans to fix their ship, so I decided to let them do that, the rest of the gems...well apart from Variscite, they didn't know what a show was, so I let them get on with their stuff'' Steven explained, saying why no one else could come.

''But what about Connie, didn't you think to ask her?'' Amethyst asked. ''Ok, A: I did ask her if she wanted to come, and B: she said she was busy tonight with some... _Mansion(1)_ along with her friends from school.'' Steven answered back.

Everyone then fell silent again. In the boot with Bismuth however, felt like she was being left out like the last 5300 years during the war. ''Maybe it was a big mistake to come along with the gang.'' She said to herself, looking around at the distance.

She was admiring the moonlight's reflection on the sea when suddenly, something caught her eye. It was a strange cloud which looked as if it was moving towards the Dondai in a scary kind of way. '' _What the..._?'' She thought, looking at the clouds which seemed to have red eyes in them now.

Another car came zooming down the other side of the road as it honked it's horn at the rainbow gem, frightning her in the process. ''Nice seat idea loser!'' One of the passangers in that car yelled back mockingly as he laughed. Busmuth then glared back at them before turning her attention back to the cloud...

Only to find that it had disappeared all together. ''Ugh, come on Bismuth pull it together, you're just paranoid.'' Bismuth said to herself before turning her attention back into the dondai.

''Ok, is nobody else gonna say it? She kinda looked like Mom. You noticed, I noticed, did you notice Lapis? Peridot? Jewel?'' Steven asked, causing everyone to look at each other and agree with Steven. ''Well...come to think of it, she did look like Pi...I mean, Rose.'' Jewel said, nearly making a mistake on naming Rose.

''Oh, Ohhh! That's why you were acting like such a goon! Ha!'' Amethyst said after realising everything. ''Ai wouldn't 'avé thought of zat sis.'' Citrine said with agreement. ''Yeah, I realised that myself when I laid my eyes on her...to my regret anyway.'' Bismuth called from the boot of the Dondai. ''No, no, that's not it. I'm so done thinking about the past. So tonight, I'm all about the future. I'm going to a show, I'm a new gem who loves socializing with humans.'' Pearl stated confidently.

Jewel on the other hand, looked away nervously, trying not to draw any attention. ''What, that's what that was?'' Amethyst asked, trying not to giggle. ''Hey, you weren't there by the cups Amy!'' Bismuth yelled from the back. ''She's right, I could have talked to her, but the timing was just wrong.'' Pearl explained to everyone

At that moment when Steven was eating a doughnut, a motocycle pulled up right along side the Dondai. Steven too notice to the motorcycle and immediately recognised it's rider before he swallowed and started speaking to Pearl. ''It's the girl! She's driving right next to us!'' He said, revealing that the mysterious girl from before was there.

''No way!'' Amethyst said with excitement. ''Ai know right?'' Citrine said with agreement. ''Oh my...I didn't expect this.'' Jewel said with shock, as if the girl couldn't leave the gang alone wherever they went. ''Looks like you've got another chance Pearl.'' Peridot said with excitement. ''Yeah, do something!'' Amethyst said, trying to encourage Pearl once more.

''Like what? Flash my lights? Honk at her?'' Pearl asked while panicking. ''Just shoot her a look!'' Amethyst said, causing Pearl to do so for a brief moment. ''Wait, not yet! Ok, ok. You can look...now!'' Amethyst said, causing Pearl to look over at the mysterious girl once again.

Upon looking nervously at the girl, she looked directly back at Pearl and smiled, causing the white gem to blush. Jewel looked away, almost on the verge of tearing up in the process. Luckily for her, the girl drove ahead of the Dondai and right through a yellow light, and the Dondai stopped at the red light as the girl continued to drive onward.

''Ooh, there she goes.'' Amethyst said, bummed out because of this. ''Yés...Eet eez a shame.'' Citrine said sadly, Jewel then said that it was probably for the best, but got a glare from Peridot. ''Hey, maybe she's going to the same show as us!'' Steven said, trying to reasure the gang. ''I dunno Steven. A girl as cool as her probably knows about a load of shows going on tonight.'' Bismuth stated, oblivious to the vicious crimson mist sneaking up behind her.

''Don't worry Pearl, I'm sure you'll have another chance with her someday.'' Lapis said, placing her hand on her shoulder. Pearl looked up at the redlight anxiously about doing something until...she suddenly had a look of determination on her face. ''Pearl, don't worry, there's always gonna be anoth...'' Bismuth started, but before she could finish, Pearl then shifted the Dondai's gears up and hits her foot very hard on the gas pedal and sped right through the red light.

It was also a good thing too, the red mist was inches away from touching Bismuth. ''PEARL!'' Steven yelped with shock. ''Oh my Stars, What are you doing?!'' Jewel yelped, clinging to her seatbelt in the process.

''Yeah, P!'' Amethyst laughed after yelling in surprise. ''Now zat eez what Ai call becomeng un wiv sociétay!'' Citrine yelled with excitement. ''Yes! That's what I call being a crystal gem!'' Peridot yelled, sticking her head out the right window and yelling with excitement.

''W...What are you doing?! The light was red!'' Steven said with panic, causing Jewel to worry even more. ''Mother this isn't right. According to Variscite, going through a red light is illegal in most of the world!'' Jewel said, taking advice from Variscite. ''I know.'' Pearl said, sounding quite evil as she shifted the gears again.

The gang then sped up down the road and then there was a bump in the road. Due to Pearl's cocky state, she drove over the bump, causing the gang to get a little hurt, but also causing Bismuth to fall out of the boot and nearly causing her to fall out of the car if she hadn't have used her hammer hand to grapple onto the boot in time.

''Hey! Are you trying to knock me off this vehicle Pearl? What the heck's wrong with you?!'' The rainbow gem complained with annoyance. ''Sorry, Pearl's not here. Would you like to leave a message?'' Pearl said rhetorically, annoying Bismuth and eventually managing to catch up with the Mysterious Girl.

''There she is!'' Amethyst and Citrine yelled with excitement. ''Wait...what's your plan Pearl?'' Lapis asked, feeling a little uneasy about Pearl. ''New Pearl, No plan.'' Pearl said with her new expressions. ''Oh, well that's comforting...'' Jewel said sarcastically. ''Oh, no kidding.'' Steven said, knowing that this was not going to end well.

Suddenly, a red light appeared from behind the Dondai before a siren is sounded by a police car, starting to chase the vehicle. ''Uh, Girls, we've got a problem here!'' Bismuth called inside the car, causing Peridot, Citrine and Lapis to look behind.

''Ohh, zis cannot be good.'' Citrine said with panic. ''The police want us!'' Steven said in a panic. ''Oh my Stars NO! Wait...what's the police?'' Peridot asked stupidly. ''Oh snap!'' Amethyst said seriously, causing Pearl to gasp in the process. ''What do I do?!'' She asked with fear.

''You have to pull over to the side and show them your licence.'' Jewel explained, getting her info from Variscite. ''That's the way it usually is.'' Steven added, making Pearl realise something important to her. ''I don't have a licence!'' She stated. ''Haha, oh right.'' Amethyst said bluntly. ''But you're old!'' Steven said, stating a good fact. ''Well what was I supposed to tell the DMV? That I'm from another planet?! I'm not exactly a citizen Steven!'' Pearl yelped with panic.

Bismuth meanwhile had kept her eyes on the vehicle. What Pearl did was against the law, but something was off...

There were no police cars around when they sped through the red light as Bismuth had seen, the car suddenly came out of nowhere, but the scariest thing...there was nobody driving it. ''Girls, I dunno what's happening back here but...'' Bismuth started to speak, looking back at the girls.

Then without noticing, the police car was suddenly transforming with the same red mist into something horrifying. Once the mist was gone, Bismuth then heard a roaring engine and then didn't notice until too late.

In the place of the police car was now a dark green monsterous looking sports car with red headlights. The bonet of the car opened up and revealed a set of monsterous teeth which looked like they were ready to chomp. ''Uh Girls, anytime now!'' Bismuth said with a hint of fear. ''Then what are we gonna do?!'' Steven asked, on the verge of breaking down. ''I can't get caught again, please do something!'' Lapis said, hugging her legs together with fear and on the verge of crying.

Pearl thought for a minute before looking at Jewel and Lapis. She then put on her determined face once again before shoving her foot down on the gas, causing the gang to scream in the process. They sped past the Mysterious Girl with the monsterous car in pursit, it's red lights blinking endlessly and roaring mechanically.

''That's it Pearl, keep going!'' Bismuth yelled to Pearl, suddenly she turned up the music to max volume while amethyst, Citrine and Peridot cheered with excitement. ''Pearl you can't just drive away! This is serious!'' Steven worryingly said, clinging to Lapis' arm. ''Pearl, you're a total bad...'' Amethyst started, but ot cut off by the sound of the tires screeching on the road. ''This is why we buckle up.'' Pearl said epicly.

''Hey Pearl! I could use a hand here! Pearl? Pearl! Can you hear me?!'' Bismuth said to Pearl, but because of the loud noise, Pearl couldn't hear anything, not even the sound of the Monsterous Car's mechanical roaring. ''Hold on!'' Pearl said like an evilto the gang, making several sharp turns and leading the monstrous car on a high-speed pursuit.

Bismuth meanwhile, tried fighting off the car, mainly because the gang were too oblivious to even notice, that and Lapis was too frightened to help. ''Woohoo!'' Amethyst cheered, laughing along with Citrine and Peridot while Steven and Lapis were in the back, fearing for their lives, or in this case, their gems. ''Oh boy.'' He said nervously. The chase continues for a while, when suddenly, Steven's phone started to ring in his pocket, causing him to pick it up and answer it.

''Hello?'' He said. ''Steven! It's me Connie!'' Connie said, sounding out of breath and half frightened. ''Connie? What's wrong, are you ok?'' Steven asked with concern. ''We need your help, me and my friends are being chased by this...fzzzzt...Please, it's an emergency, we need...fzzzt.'' That was all Steven managed to hear before the call was cut of immediately.

''Connie? Connie?! What's wrong? Connie?!'' Steven tried asking, he then got a text from Garnet which said: _I know what's happening with Connie. I'll handle things from here while you have the night to yourselves_. This calmed Steven down a little, until he noticed Bismuth fighting a monsterous car from behind.

The chase then continued a little longer before Pearl spots a billboard up ahead reading: **_OCEAN TOWN - No longer on FIRE_**. Pearl then sees this as a perfect hiding spot. Somehow Jewel saw this as a bad idea and tried getting her mother to stop, Pearl didn't listen and spun the Dondai around before parking it directly behind the billboard before turning it off.

Hoping that the police car wouldn't find them, the gang were then frightened with a large explosion followed by a green monsterous car rolling on it's side and scraping off the road with Bismuth hopping off of it shortly after.

Confused by this, Steven looked in the open boot to see Bismuth wasn't sitting in there anymore. Everyone then got out of the car to go over to their rainbow ally who panted and puffed in rage. ''Bismuth, what happened here?'' Pearl tried asking. ''Grr, FEEL FREE TO STEP IN ANYTIME!'' The rainbow gem yelled in rage, causing the gang to be taken back by this a little.

''Err...what happened he...'' Peridot asked, cut off by Bismuth again. ''OH, WELL IF YOU MUST KNOW, THAT POLICE CAR WAS ACTUALLY A MONSTER KIND OF CAR WHICH TRIED ATTACKING US, SO I HAD TO TAKE IT DOWN, BY! MY! SELF! BECAUSE YOU WERE ALL TOO OBLIVIOUS TO HELP ME!'' Bismuth yelled, right into Peridot's face.

The rainbow gem then panted, out of breath and tired from fighting. ''Sorry...it's that this thing was really strong, like...it was some sort of Gem.'' Bismuth said appologetically as she glanced back over at the car. ''I suppose what you did was none of my _Bismuth_ , right?'' She joked, earning a little bit of chuckles from the gang but not much of them.

All the while, Jewel was still in the car, crying quietly in fear was she thought about the way that her own mother acted tonight. By the time the gang decided to get back into the car, they noticed Jewel crying. ''Jewel?...What's wrong?'' Pearl decided to ask. ''N..n..Nothing...'' Jewel spoke through her tears.

''Come on, you know you can tell me any...'' Pearl started, but cut off by Jewel. ''How could you...be so careless?!'' She spat to her own mother. ''I was planning on drinking juice with my mother who wore _those_ clothes! I also wanted to gently hit people so I wouldn't hurt them, as they'd say, "Wow, your mom's pretty cool!" But no, instead, we all drove to loud music, chased a mysterious woman into the night to fall in love with while father's not here, broke the law and nearly got killed by you!'' Jewel screeched, turing away from her mother and sobbing out loud.

Taken back by this, Pearl looked at Bismuth and Steven who both encouraged Pearl to calm Jewel down. Pearl then got back into the driver seat and put her hand gently on Jewel's shoulder sighing. ''You're right...I was so ready, but I got so carried away I didn't even notice how you felt. I should have stayed at home with the puzzle.'' Pearl admitted, apologising in the process.

Jewel the looked up at her mother before cracking a slight smile. ''Yes, I suppose so...but it wasn't all bad. I mean, it was the first time I was involved in a chase. Plus, you looked pretty fearless like the stories you and father used to tell me.'' Jewel said, reassuring Pearl.

''You bet. This proves a lot of things...like Pearl being rebellious and...well we'll get to that part later.'' She said before she hopped back into the boot of the Dondai, everyone else then hopped back into their seats before they tried setting off.

Suddenly, the car then disolved into mist before floating over to the Dondai before appearing at the window Steven was at and scared him. '' _ **GOOD STUNT...BUT YOU'RE STILL PATHETIC AS ALWAYS PEARL...AND ROSE...I'LL BE SEEING YOU AGAIN...REAL SOON...**_ '' The mist spoke in a vicious raspy voice before flying off. ''Woah...who was that?'' Amethyst asked with nerves. ''It's...complicated...But nevermind. Anyways, we can still make it to the show if you wanted to go still.'' Pearl said to the gang. Everyone agreed and Pearl tried Staring up the car...only to find that it wouldn't start at all.

''What's up with the car?'' Steven asked. ''I think we're out of gas.'' Pearl said, taking notice to the petrol symbol flashing on the dashboard. ''Aw what?'' ''You are jokéng right?'' ''Ugh, you clod.'' ''I can't believe this!'' ''How could you not have noticed this before?!'' Everyone complained. ''Hang on, I'll find a gas station.'' Steven said as he pulled out his phone to see the maps.

He then took notice to another message that Connie sent him saying ' _Meet you at your house later, I wanna tell you something_ ' before he clicked onto the maps and seeing the gas station. ''It looks like the closest one is...20 miles away...'' He said with a sad expression. ''Ugh...'' Amethyst groaned as she facepalmed herself. ''Now what?'' Bismuth asked with annoyance.

* * *

After ditching the Dondai

The gang then walked alongside the road, feeling quite annoyed and a little tired from walking. All of a sudden Pearl abruptly stopped in her tracks. ''Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.'' Pearl said. ''Huh? What are you on about?'' Steven asked, worried about Pearl as she threw her jacket to the ground and tried taking off her jeans.

''I mean... this has been some mess of a ride we all went on and...'' She started, only to fall over trying to take the pants off. ''...and everything went wrong when we first saw that girl.'' Hearing this, Bismuth decided to step up.

''Come on Pearl, listen to yourself! I mean...you haven't been this hardcore since the gem war. Forget the pants and the jacket, you really made a run from that possessed vehicle while I fought it, almost as great when you outran that warship in that HPV.'' She said, bursting out her jacket and making Pearl feel a little better.

''That was the most scared I've ever been since you almost let me die!'' Steven stated. ''Yeah, besides, I, Peridot and Jewel have seen you in action for the first time. I mean, I've been trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, but now that I see this, I'm glad to have been caught by you. You're totally a criminal now!'' Lapis stated with amazement.

Hearing this gave Pearl confidence. ''Now? Oh Lapis, I've been a criminal for 6000 years.'' She said as Bismuth came up beside her. "That's the spirit Pearl. Now all we gotta do is find the band and we're..." But before the rainbow gem could finish, music was heard in the distance, from Steven's good hearing anyway.

''Wait...do you guys hear that?'' He asked with excitement. ''Could it be...?'' Lapis started before running towards the source of the music. There were bushes blocking the way, but luckily Bismuth shapeshifted her hands into chainsaws before cutting a path for the gang before they found that the source of the music was the Mike Krol concert.

''We made it!'' Steven said as they saw an open garage door with Mike Krol himself singing a song called, _"Like a Star"_ while the crowd dances along with him. ''Wow, I can't believe this, it's more amazing up close!'' Peridot excaimed, jumping into Lapis' arms.

''And there's the girl! She's actually here!'' Steven said after gasping, he then pointed towards the mysterious girl who was currently on her phone.

''No way.'' Amethyst said with disbelief.

''Ai cannot beliéve zis.'' Citrine added.

''Holy smokes.'' Peridot said gasping.

''I'm going to go over there and talk to her.'' Pearl said, feeling that now was the right moment to do so. ''I'm coming with you P.'' Bismuth said, glad that Pearl was taking a chance to do the right thing. ''What? Er...look Pearl, I already think you're cool. You can ease into the socializing with humans thing.'' Amethyst said nervously.

Pearl looked over at the mysterious girl and made up her mind. ''Watch Steven for me.'' Pearl said before aprproaching the girl with Bismuth. ''Wait, no! You could talk smaller! Talk to a nerd!'' Amethyst called out, but neither gems listened to her. ''Amethyst.'' Steven scolded quietly. ''Ahahaha, shut down by the Ste-Squad.'' Peridot laughed, earning her a whack.

Over by the Mystery Girl, Pearl held out her hand towards her along with Bismuth. 'Oh no...they're starting with a hand shake?!'' Citrine and Amethyst said in unison, thinking that things were going to go wrong.

Suddenly, they were both proven wrong when the mystery girl shook Pearl's hand and then Bismuth's hand with a smile. ''Oh, she went for it! They're both smiling.'' Steven said with amazement. ''Wow...I honestly didn't think she'd be that kind of earth girl. I mean, father would be impressed by this.'' Jewel stated impressivley.

Pearl and Bismuth then began to speak to the girl who laughed. ''I can't believe this.'' Amethyst said in disbelief. ''Neither can I, what's mother saying?'' Jewel asked, eager to know what her own mother was talking about. ''No idea, but the girl is laughing.'' Steven mentioned from the way the girl looked.

''Lapis, do you think the girl's laughing _at_ them or _with_ them?'' Peridot asked towards her barn mate. ''Hard to tell, but at least they're talking.'' Lapis said, sheepishly. ''Guys, they're coming back!'' Amethyst said before she and the rest of the gang ran over to Pearl and Bismuth.

''So, how'd it go?'' Steven asked with excitement. ''Well, I asked her about her hair, and then she asked how I colored mine. I told her, _My appearance is just a conscious manifestation of light._ and she said, _I know how that is._ Although, I highly doubt ! Then I added, _By the way, I saved your planet, and your species, and you're welcome._ '' Pearl said, explaining what she was talking about to the girl.

''What about you Bismuth? How'd it go on your end?'' Jewel asked, keen to hear the outcome of what she said. ''I basically said the same thing as Pearl, and I also added in the fact that I can construct my own hands into tools.'' Bismuth said with pride.

The gang were a little worried about the duo before asking one final question. ''And...how'd that go over?'' Amethyst asked in fear. ''Not very well to be honest. She walked off after giving me and Bismuth some sort of code.'' Pearl said, holding out a piece of paper which read _S. 301-555-0189._

Shocked by this, Amethyst laughed a little before speaking. ''No way!'' She exclaimed. ''Oh my stars...what's this about again?'' Peridot asked in confusion. ''Pearl! That's a phone number! She wants you and Bismuth to call her and talk to her on the phone!'' Steven said with excitement.

''Oh...well... I don't have a phone, and neither does Bismuth.'' Pearl stated. ''I never get how society works on Earth, but I'm so glad to be here tonight with you guys.'' Lapis said with excitement, hugging Peridot and Steven in the process. ''Pearl! Look how well we've changed, I mean, you just gave that girl some shakesperian spiel about light, I told her a few explinations on my workshop tools, then we got her number together like it was nothing?!'' Bismuth said before laughing together with Amethyst.

''I gotta hand it to you Pearl, for your first time being in this society, you're a total rockstar!'' Bismuth added, patting her on the back. Pearl looked at the phone number before smiling at the gang.

 ** _[Mike Krol - Fifteen Minutes]_**

 _ **Pearl as Repressed Nerd**_

 _ **Amethyst as Ultimate Wingman**_

 _ **Steven as Voice of Reason**_

 _ **Jewel as Shy girl**_

 ** _Citrine as Bubbly Party girl_**

 ** _Peridot as Crazy Know-it-all_**

 ** _Lapis Lazuli as Emotional Occult Club Member_**

 ** _Bismuth as Enthusiastic Football Player_**

 ** _with Mystery Girl as Herself_**

 ** _And introducing, Mysterious Red Mist Gem as_** _ **Gangster Car**_

* * *

Epilogue

Back in Beach City in the Big Donut

Connie had just come out with a bag of iced donughts right before the store closed for the night, much to Lars' satisfaction. Connie looked wrecked, like she hadn't been able to sleep for hours or something.

''Ok...that's the last time I let Darren drag me into some horror fille place.'' She muttered, trying to calm down after tonight. Just as she was about to head home, she saw Steven and some of the gems coming down the road before parking up. "..gotta hand it to you girls, that was the best night ever." Steven said as he came out the car. ''Steven!'' Connie cried as she ran up to her friend and hugged him.

''Connie? I got your phonecall, What's wrong? You look like you've been through a lot.'' Steven said with worry. ''It's...a long story...my phone died when I called, but lucky Garnet and Imperia showed up and saved me and the others.'' Connie explained.

Steven then offered to bring her back to his place for the night while she explained what happened during his visit to the concert. The red mist appeard behind the big donut and stared at the gems. " ** _Hmm, you don't act like a Rose Quartz...you act more like...well, we'll get to that part later. My time for attacking you all will come, one way...or another._** " After speaking, the mist gem then flew away.

* * *

 **And there we have it.**

 **The next chapter will be up pretty soon. Also, there'll be a new story about Connie, so stay tuned.**

 **But for now,**

 **Negaboss2000 out.**


	6. Connie Maheswaran - School Days

**Greetings from Negaboss2000 once again**

 **This time we're going into a story which happened around the time of Last One out of Beach City.**

 **Also a little heads up, this might be a little scary (References of Ao Oni and Witches House)**

 **Anyways, let's get on with the story ^^**

* * *

 **Connie Maheshwaran - School Days**

 **The Haunted Mansion**

In Steven's house

Moments after he and the gems came back from the show

Steven had sat Connie down after she went through a lot, mainly because her heart was racing, her hair was messy and there was a few bits of wood in it. He gave her a mug of coco and let her calm down before she explained what happened tonight while the gems were at the concert for Mike Krol. "You feeling better Connie?" Steven asked with concern. "Yeah, thanks. It's just been really stressful, what I went through tonight." Connie said, placing her hand to her forehead when she felt a massive headache.

"Breath slowly, you're safe now." Bismuth said, patting Connie gently on the back. "If I may say so, what happened tonight?" Pearl asked curiously, wondering how Connie got into a who looked wrecked. "I've...been in this creepy old mansion, just on the outskirts of Beach City." Connie spoke, shocking Steven and some of the gems in the process.

"That place?! Why would you even go there? It's off limits to anybody!" Pearl said in panic, worried that something could have hurt Connie. "Hang on, why'd you go there anyways? The last time we went was 20 years ago." Amethyst stated with a false fearful voice. "Well...there was this kid in my school, he wanted us to be there, otherwise he would have humiliated me in front of all the students...but I think he's not going to afterwards, mainly because of what happened." Connie explained, shivering at the thought of being in the mansion.

"So what exactly happened in this...mansion, how'd it all start?" Bismuth asked, curious to find out more about the mansion Connie was in. "Well...it began earlier on this morning at my school." Connie explained, remembering what happened at school.

* * *

 ** _(Connie's Story POV)_**

 _Earlier this morning_

 _Delmarva Middle School_

 _ **"I was sitting in my seat in class, reading buddy budwick's journal. I happened to notice one of the chapters showed something called 'The Lonely Wanderer.' which seemed interesting. Anyways, I was reading a part which explained that it was a strange wanderer who kept watch of something, when all of a sudden..."**_

 _Connie got squirted in the face by a water gun, causing her to yelp in surprise. When she looked up, she saw the school bully: Darren Galaxy towering over her. "Hahahahahaha! Oh dude, you shoulda seen the look on your face, Priceless." Darren laughed mockingly, taking a photo of Connie. "Ugh, give it a rest Darren!" Connie said, before noticing the teacher come into the classroom. "I don't think so, besides...I think you'll make a hilarious laughing stock before the day is out." Darren continued, but before he attempted to put the photo of Connie over social media, the teacher came in and spotted it._

 _"Mr Galaxy, get back to your seat. And you will delete that photo off your phone or you'll receive a week's detention." The teacher spoke with a threatening voice before Darren mumbled angrily and went to his seat. The teacher then turned to her whole class before speaking._

 _ **"Anyways, Today we were having a new student in our class, she was really shy and some of the bigger girls even picked on her."**_

 _"Good morning everyone. I have your test results back from yesterday, but before we do that, I'd like to give a small announcement. We've got a new student joining us today, her name is Nora and she's a little shy, so please treat her with respect." She said, showing the new student. The girl called Nora was shorter than Connie and a teeny bit shorter than Steven, she had bright peach skin, had her hair tied up in a ponytail which was curly and formed little ringlets and some of it was slightly dyed pink. The girl also wore a pink shirt with a symbol of a single diamond on it, a pair of shorts and some light up sneakers._

 _Nora waved hello to everyone, but she didn't speak a word which shocked everyone. "Ok Nora, your seat is next to Connie Maheswaren. I'm sure you'll get along well together." The teacher said, pointing to an empty seat next to Connie. Nora then went up to her seat and sat down. "Now then class, we'll pick up where we left off last week, if you'll all turn to page 7, we'll get started." The teacher said, writing out the assignment for the students._

 _Looking over at Nora, Connie saw that the girl looked through her bag for pencils and couldn't find any. She then saw the girl holding out a rock before breathing and crushing it to make a crystal pencil._ _Connie was absolutely amazed at what Nora was able to do. Nora then looked towards Connie before putting her finger to her lips, saying 'Ssh' which Connie decided not to rat her out to the other students._

 _Connie then got on with reading the book for her assignment along with Nora who used her crystal pencil._

* * *

 _After Class in the hallway_

 _ **"So once we were in the cafeteria, I decided to introduce myself to the new girl and become friends with her."**_

 _Connie had gotten her lunch on her tray and Spotted the girl sitting alone at one of the tables. She then went over to Nora to introduce herself as well as sit down to eat her food. "Hello, do you mind if I sit her" She asked, causing Nora to shake her head with a smile before Connie sat down. "So...was your name Nora?" Connie asked as Nora nodded her head happily._

 _"Anyways, I'm Connie. I really liked what you did with your little trick with the stone." Connie said, introducing herself to Nora and even complementing her on how she made with her bare hands. Nora didn't speak, she just put her thumb up to say thank you. "You don't...talk very much...do you?" Connie decided to ask, making Nora a little uncomfortable, but she nodded either way._ _Connie figured that Nora was a mute and decided that it was best not to say anything else about it._

 _ **"I assumed that the new girl wasn't able to speak at all, but she whispered in my ear that she didn't like speaking in public. So later, she decided to show off a few of her toys to me."**_

 _Later after School finished for the day_

 _Connie and Nora both walked home together, talking about what their hobbies were and what they loved doing...well, mainly Connie did the talking and she had to guess what Nora's hobbies were, but luckily she got them right. "So...you like fairy tales too?" She asked, causing Nora to nod her head in agreement. The girl wrote down a list of books that she loved reading and handed it to Connie._

 _"Woah, you like The Spirit Morph Saga too?" She asked in amazement. Nora excitingly nodded her head in agreement when she asked this. Nora then took out a little doll which looked like a pink skinned, fluffy haired girl which looked pretty. "Aw, she looks so cute. What's her name Nora?" Connie asked before Nora tried handing it to her_

 _ **"She really loved the Spirit Morph Saga. I was impressed for someone who loved it a lot myself. I also saw a Doll that looked really pretty in my opinion...but the moment was ruined when Darren found us."**_

 _Suddenly out of nowhere_

 _Darren Galaxy grabbed the doll and looked at it mockingly. "Ha! Wow, for a high school student, you sure are wimpy!" He said as he and his followers laughed at the two girls. "Come on Darren give it back!" Connie asked with annoyance as Nora tried jumping up to grab her doll. "Yeah...like that's ever gonna happen...maybe I'll give it to my...precious girl." Darren said, giving the doll to his girlfriend Cadence McKenzie. "Wow, it looks so cute. I might put it on the front of my mom's car." Cadence said, causing Nora to panic._

 _"Aw, what's wrong little one? Want it back? Well too bad." Cadence asked mockingly before laughing. "Hey guys, I think we should give the doll back, I mean she'll tell her parents and then we'll..." One of the other bullies said nervously. "Zip it Zach. Anyways kid! We're heading to this old mansion on the outskirts of Beach City, so if you want your doll back, you'll show up with Zach or else you'll never see it again...plus, I will call you a chicken for the rest of your life." Darren threatened before he and his pack jumped into his car and drove off._

 _Nora was on the verge of tears, but luckily Connie calmed her down. "Don't worry Nora, we'll get your doll back. All we have to do is show up at a mansion, right?" She said before looking at Darren's car down the street. "Um...I don't think it's that simple Connie. Darren's like, never true to his word." Zach said, knowing Darren too well. Connie still wanted to get the doll back anyway, no matter what it took._

 _"I want to get the doll back, for Nora. Wouldn't you do anything to help your friend?" Hearing this, Zach nodded his head slightly. He wanted to stand up to Darren, but he didn't have the nerve to do so, mainly the reason for him following Darren around._

 ** _"That was around the moment when Steven texted me about the show that you and the gems were going to."_**

 _Connie then felt her phone buzzing in her pocket before she took it out. Looking at her phone, she saw a text from Steven, asking if she wanted to go to a show with the gems tonight. Connie had to turn down the offer because she wanted to help Nora get her doll back in a mansion. "So, where do we go, for the mansion I mean?" Connie asked Zach who nervously looked down at her. "It's...about two miles away on the outskirts, look if you don't want to go, I'll just get the doll back for your friend." Zach suggested, but Connie refused, she didn't want to let Nora down._

 _Zach then got the two girls onto the back of his quad bike before he rode of for the mansion._

* * *

 _Later that evening_

 ** _"After we were threatened, me and the others headed over to this mansion. It was really old, one the verge of collapsing and had a major scent of terror around it."_**

 _Connie, Nora and Zach arrived at the so called Haunted Mansion, which revealed to be an old mansion with a few parts of rotted wood, had rusty bars all around it and quite a spooky presence within. "This is is, the old...and pretty scary." Connie said, feeling nervous about the old place. Nora nervously clung to her out of fear of the mansion being haunted. "It's alright Nora, hopefully this won't take too long." Zach reassured despite the fear rising up inside._

 _"Umm, Zach, are you sure we're in the right place?" Connie asked, feeling nervous about being around the mansion's rotted wood. "Well of course, Miss Maheswoozers. Why would you say that?" Darren asked, appearing from behind the kids and scaring them. "Ugh, please don't do that, Darren!" Zach said in annoyance before he earned a growl from the big bully himself. "Anyways, we came to the mansion like you said, now can you give Nora her doll back?" Connie asked, reaching for Nora's doll. Darren however, held it up high to prevent it from being grabbed._

 _"Ah, ah, ah. Not until we check this place out. I hear it's haunted by ghosts." The bully said, grinning. "But you said..." Connie started, but was cut off when Darren shoved her, Nora and Zach to the front door. "You go first, if there are ghosts, then I wanna be around to see them." Cadence said, wrapping her arm around her boyfriend before following the three kids._

 _"Stupid kids, ya never know what they'll do for their stuff." Darren laughed evilly as he and Cadence walked into the mansion, oblivious to a red mist surging into the old abandoned place._

 _ **"Yeah...Darren wanted to make us check the place out for ghosts. So once we got inside, some of us were shocked that the mansion was cleaner than we thought it would be. I already figured that Zach and my friend were nervous, so I decided to defend them no matter what."**_

 _Inside the mansion_

 _Connie, Nora and Zach looked around in fear before noticing that the inside was a bit cleaner than they thought. "Wow, talk about spring cleaning. Does a janitor come here every day to clean out this place?" Zach asked despite having a spooked feeling._

 _"Don't be stupid Zach, nobody's been in this old junk pile in 60 years." Darren said, getting annoyed with his ally's paranoia._

 _Nora looked at an old painting, showing a lovely wealthy family standing proudly as a family, with a grandfather, mother and father and a daughter What was spooky though, was that the grandfather's head was ripped off. "Woah...that's pretty spooky...but really nice." Connie said, appearing beside Nora, holding her hand to make sure she didn't get scared._

 _"Alright...I...It doesn't look like there's any ghosts around here. So why don't we just get outta here?" Zach asked nervously. "Come on you doofus, don't tell me you're afraid...of ghosts." Darren laughed._

 _ **"Suddenly, there was a smash, coming from the kitchen. I volunteered to go check it out and Nora came along with me."**_

 _A loud smash echoed from the kitchen, causing everyone to cringe in fright. "Oh my goodness, what was that?!" Cadence asked in panic, clinging to Darren as this happened. "Maybe it's the ghosts?!" Darren said with excitement._

 _"Ugh, there's no such thing as ghosts. I'll be back in a few minutes." Connie said, walking off towards the direction of the noise's source. Nora went with her with me, even though Connie told her not to._

 _When they got to the kitchen, Connie saw that there was an ancient looking plate, shattered into pieces on the ground. She thought it was priceless at first, but when she looked a little further at the broken plate, she saw that it was a fake china plate. "Ugh, figures." Connie groaned, deciding to pick up a shard as proof of the noise before she headed back into the entrance._

 _"Thank goodness for that Nora, I thought it was going to be much worse than that. But I guess not. Wouldn't you agree?" Asking this, Nora nodded, walking alongside her new friend._

 _ **"But when we got back, Darren and his bullies were gone. We looked everywhere, for them, but we couldn't find anyone. We then tried leaving, but the door was locked."**_

 _"Well Darren, here's proof of your so-called..." Connie Started, only to stop when she noticed the three teens were missing._ _Both girls got spooked when they saw that they were alone in the mansion._

 _Nora freaked out a little, even tearing up at this. "Darren? Cadence? Zach? Come on, the jig's up! Ugh, whatever, you guys are jerks, except for Zach." Connie called out in annoyance, frightfully, there was no response. Unknown to the two girls, something was watching them before crawling off._

 _Nora then noticed her doll over by the door before she ran over to it and picked it up before showing it to Connie. "Alright, well at least we have the doll. Come on Nora, let's get out of this place, hopefully Zach got out of here too." Connie said before walking over to the door to leave. But when she tried opening it however, it was locked._

 _Then she and Nora tried yanking on the handle harder, but it still wouldn't budge a bit_ _. "Oh no...Nora don't panic, I'm sure it'll open with enough force." Speaking this, Connie then grabbed hold of the handle and yanked it really hard, but she still couldn't._

 _ **"My first guess that Darren had locked everyone in, but I discovered that it was locked from the outside...and the key was still in the lock.**_

 _Eventually, Connie gave up and peeped through the door to see what was happening outside, but she couldn't because of the key still in the...wait. Connie froze in fear, thinking how the key got out there, of course it could have been Darren who was playing this cruel trick on the two girls, but she felt like even Darren wouldn't do this in such a creepy place._

 _"Ok...this is getting a little creepy. Nora, try not to...panic..." Connie started but was cut off by the sight of a horrific shadow, whooshing past the two girls. Both of them turned around slowly in fright before they saw...it. A gem mutant, scarier than all the others she had faced before, it had sharp teeth, multiple eyes and a few mouths over it's face._

 _The way it looked at Nora, was terrifying as the little girl backed away slowly with it slowly advancing towards her. "Nora...I know your too scared, but can I just ask you to do one thing?" Connie asked as Nora nodded her head._

 _ **"Then...we both saw it Steven...A Gem Mutant in the house, it didn't look anything like the one Peridot stated, but rather it looked like it had been in this place for years. Anyways, we both ran up the stairs, trying to find someplace to hide. Without my sword, we were defenceless."**_

 _The gem mutant roared with an ear-piercing screech. "RUN!" Connie screamed as she grabbed Nora's hand and ran up the stairs with the mutant following them dangerously behind. "Ok, ok, ok Connie, don't panic. Sure you're being chased by a gem mutant, without your sword, or the gems. But you can find a way to defeat it." She told herself in a hint of panic._

 _Nora screamed in fear as the monster kept chasing the two girls. It was lucky that Connie found a room, other wise they would have run into a dead end upstairs. Once the two girls were in the room, Connie quickly closed the door and barricaded it with a nearby rotted drawer which held the monster out while the two girls looked for a place to hide._

 _"Come on, come on. Where can we hide?" Connie said to herself before seeing a closet. She then got into the closet with Nora which, luckily had enough room for the two of them and they were just in time before the monster burst through the door before looking around for the two girls. It got dangerously close to the closet and was on the verge of opening it, frightening Nora in the process. "Stay calm Nora." Connie said, placing her hand on Nora's as she nodded._

 _Somehow, the gem mutant picked up the scent of Nora's doll, which smelt of flowers, but luckily...it then left the room with the door broken and wide open. The two girls then sighed in relief before opening the closet door to make sure it was gone. But when they got out, they turned and saw Zach before they screamed in fright. "Waaaah! Girls, don't do that, you scared me!" Zach said, in annoyance. "Sorry, we thought you were that monster." Connie said sheepishly and Nora replied with a nod._

 _"Anyways, what's going on? Why'd Darren lock us in here?!" Connie asked angrily. "Alright I'll tell you. But we'd better get out of here first, cause this place is freaking me out." Zach said before he and the two girls got out of the room._

 _ **"When we found Zach again, he was already freaked out. He explained that Darren wanted to bring us here just so he could catch the gem mutant and sell it to the freak show. I didn't realise he was that dark at first until Zach explained everything."**_

 _"Apparently that monster you saw, it's actually a dangerous one which may people have been frightened off by. Darren wanted to catch it so he could sell it to the Freak show circus, who wanted to make him a billionaire if he could get anything freaky for their show." Zach explained as the trio reached the bottom of the stairs._

 _Nora clung to Connie in fright upon hearing this. "So...he wanted to use us just so he could catch the monster?" Connie asked in anger. "Yep, but I'm not one to let that happen." Zach said before they heard a loud crash from their right. The gem mutant had gone into the bathroom, mainly focused on the mirror it was staring into. Zach then thought that it was the perfect opportunity to slip away unnoticed._

 _"Come on, I think I saw an open window which leads out into the garden, we can get out that way and get you girls home." Zach said before leading the girls to the open window which was down the corridor on the ground floor and wide open. They then made a run for it and despite that it felt too easy for Connie, they were nearly moments away from freedom._

 _ **"There was an open window, but we saw we were blocked by Darren who closed it and nailed it shut."**_

 _Suddenly, the window was shut and nailed down, causing the kids to freeze in their tracks. "You're not going anywhere, none of you are." Darren said with an evil look in his eye. "Darren, what the heck are you doing?!" Zach said hysterically, causing the bully to look his way and advance towards the girls. "I'm getting that monster. One way or another, and you're not messing this up for me." He added, hammering another nail into the window, sealing it shut all together._

 _"But Nora didn't do anything to you, just let her out!" Connie said angrily, Darren then grabbed Connie and lifted her off the ground before he looked at her. "Like I said, none of you are escaping until I get that monster!" He growled, dropping Connie roughly on the floor, hurting her in the process. The gem mutant was then alerted by this and ran all the way over to where the gang and Darren were standing. "Well, ain't that a brute?_ _" Darren said, eager to catch the beast._

 _Connie then grabbed Nora and ran for it with Zach following right behind them after he shoved Darren over. The gem mutant however, didn't go after Darren, rather, it went after Connie and the others. "Uh...why's it chasing us?!" Zach asked hysterically. "Maybe it has something to do Nora's doll. I think it picked up it's scent back when we hid in the closet." Connie figured, causing Nora to Clutch her doll in fear._

 _"Well we can't let that thing take her doll then can we? Hmm, there must be another way out though the basement!" Zach suggested, seeing the open door leading downstairs. He then grabbed the two girls and quickly leapt in through the door just before the gem mutant could grab them as it slid on some oil and crashed through the wall where the door was._

 _"Forget the front door, come on girls, hopefully we'll be able to get out down here" Zach said with hopes of escaping without running into any problems._

* * *

 _Down in the basement of the mansion._

 _ **"Zach then tried finding a way out through the basement, but there wasn't any windows anywhere."**_

 _Once the trio reached the bottom of the stairs, Zach tried desperately to find a window where they could open and escape though. Unfortunately this wasn't possible as some of the windows were boarded up or broken._

 _"Ugh, come on! This is why I never go to anyplace spooky, they never give you a way out of these places." Zach said in annoyance, trying to break out of the basement. There was banging up on the top floor, frightening the trio in the process. "Ok, ok, ok, we gotta get out of here!" Zach screamed in the process before Connie noticed a hole in the wall of the basement and presumed that it was a way out._

 _The banging then got louder before Connie broke into a panic and grabbed her two friends before going through the hole in the wall to hide. "Right, stay hidden. I'll call for help." She said before getting out her phone and going to her contacts._

 _ **"That was mainly around the time that I called you. But I couldn't get a signal in the basement no matter what I tried doing."**_

 _Connie picked up her phone and tried calling Steven frantically, trying not to attract attention from the gem mutant. The first time was useless along with the second time, but the third time, it worked and Steven managed to pick up. "Hello?" He said, his voice barely being heard by the noise being made on his end. "Steven! It's me, Connie!" She replied, trying to let Steven hear her voice through the loud music._

 _"Connie? What's wro...fzzzt...are yo...fzzt...ok?" Steven asked with concern, although Connie's phone was having trouble getting a good signal whilst underground in the basement. "_ We need your help, me and my friends are being chased by this gem mutant! Please, it's an emergency, we need help immediat... _" Trying to finish her message, Connie's phone immediately lost it's signal all together. "Steven? Steven are you there?" She asked, hoping that Steven got the message, only to see that her phone had automatically hung up because of no signals._

 _"Ugh, stupid phone! Right...looks like it's gonna be a while before we can get out of here." Connie said in annoyance. Nora and Zach were pretty freaked out before something caught their eyes. "Hey...Connie? Check this out." Zach said, tapping her shoulder and pointing to what caught his eye. Looking, Connie noticed something off about the mansion's basement._

 _ **"I then came across a tomb...which looked to be one from...homeworld."**_

 _Looking, Connie and the others noticed that where they were hiding was more like an ancient place where presumingly Homeworld gems would somehow come. "What the...?" She said to herself as she continued to look around. This ancient place seemed to be some sort of place powered by broken shards of any traitor or corrupted gem from what she saw._

 _"What the heck is this place?" Zach asked as he felt Nora clinging to him. "I...I don't know. It looks like some kind of tomb. Or at the very least...one tomb." Connie said, looking at what appeared to be jars containing...shards._

 _Pieces of gem shards just shoved into clear glass jars and left there with names, making them sound as if they were famous gems._

 _But one tomb stood out from the rest of them. A huge pink coffin like container which had the original insignia of the great diamond authority, it also looked like the gem that Steven's mom had shattered, but got her answer when she saw the writing for herself._

 _ **"Seeing the place and the tomb itself as Pink, I realised that this must have been the resting place of Pink Diamond herself."**_

 _"Here rests Pink Diamond. A beloved diamond to the authority and homeworld itself." Connie read before cringing in fear. "Guys...we've gotta get out of here!" She said in fright, wanting to get out before something bad happened like the broken gems rising once again._

 _"Wh..why?" Zach asked in confusion. "I don't think we're supposed to be in this place, I think this is the real reason why Darren brought us to the mansion, to awaken whatever's in these containers." Connie replied, trying not to reveal anything she knew about the gems._

 _Nora and Zach then agreed with Connie just before they noticed light coming from the tombs and tried forming something. The trio ran out of the chamber but forgot that the gem mutant was still looking for them. Once they hid however, Connie felt a hard hit on the back of her head, knocking her out, she managed to see Darren hiding in the shadows as he grabbed Nora and Zach._

 _ **"Darren caught us, he tied us to the beam in the middle of the room along with Cadence and used us as bait to lure out the monster."**_

 _When Connie woke up, she could feel ropes being tightened around her, she then saw that Darren was tying her, Nora, Zach and Cadence to a pole, ignoring their cries in the process. "There we go now, nice and tight. We wouldn't want you running off now would we?" He said as had a creepy look on his face. "Darren what are you doing? Let us go! You don't know what you're messing with down here!" Connie pleaded, trying to untie the ropes._

 _"Ah, ah, ah. I need this monster to get rich, and you're not gonna mess it up for me Maheswaran!" Darren growled, using Nora's doll's scent to lure the monster back into the basement. Nora freaked out quietly and Cadence...she completely lost it. "Oh cripes! Darren, why did you put me with the rest of them? I thought you liked me?" She said while freaking out._

 _"And indeed I do like you. But I need to do this...to capture that beast. Either way, we'll talk later, I can already hear it coming!" Darren said as he hid in the shadows, waiting for the gem mutant to come towards Connie and the others._

 _The gem mutant then came down the stairs before looking over towards where Connie and the others were. Suddenly remembering the plate shard she had, Connie then managed to take it out of her pocket and began to cut away at the ropes as fast as she could as the mutant made it's way over to Nora, sniffing at her. Nora squeezed her eyes shut when the mutant got near her and tried really hard not to cry._

 _"Leave her alone!" Connie yelled as she managed to break free from the ropes and used the plate shart to attack the gem mutant which caused it to screech in pain before it winced a little. Overall, giving Connie enough time to get the others out of that chair. "Oh crud, I am so done with Darren!" Cadence screamed, finally snapping with her big mouth._

 _Hearing this the mutant then looked over towards Cadence and attempted to attack her before she fled back up the stairs without the monster following her, mainly because it caught the scent off Nora's doll. "Uh oh...Nora, I think we need to run again!" Connie said, grabbing Nora's wrist before attempting to make a run for it. The run was cut short when the mutant blocked their path, growling as it reared up to the girls and Zach._

 _ **"Boy were we lucky that Garnet and Imperia came to our aid."**_

 _Suddenly, a telepathic arrow appeared out of nowhere and struck the gem mutant through it's chest, causing minor damage. But the real deal came when two giant gauntlets appeared out of nowhere and quickly, crushed the mutant, poofing it in the process and leaving Darren in shock and defeat. "Wha...? No! Come on, that was my one chance to get rich!" Darren growled in annoyance._

 _It was that moment when Garnet and Imperia revealed themselves through the dust. Somehow though, Garnet looked different, meaning she was glowing red and blue until she stopped glowing all together. "Howdy, bang." Garnet said with a smile before turning towards Darren. "And you...using Connie for this horrible stunt was a bad move!" She spoke firmly, picking him up by the scruff of his shirt._

 _ **"After this was over, Garnet and Imperia escorted us out of the mansion and we were all safe. Not only that, but my friend and I...we were so relieved to be out of that crazy place."**_

 _After getting out of the mansion, Garent had sent Darren on his way after getting scolded by the fustion herself. Imperia then helped Cadence and Zach get home after what happened tonight._

 _Connie and Nora meanwhile were both sitting beside each other, trying to calm down after all they went through. "I'm glad we got your doll back. But I'm really sorry that we went through all that." Connie apologised, but felt Nora's hand touch her's as she gave a reasuring smile, telling Connie that she had a pretty adventerous time...much to Connie's weird expression._

 _"Well...it's pretty late either way, I think we'd better get home, see you tomorrow?" Connie said, offering Nora a handshake. However, Nora didn't take the handshake and instead gave Connie a hug, a warm one too. "Thank you." She whispered. Nora then gave her phone number to Connie before walking over to Garnet who took her home and Connie didn't mind walking home on her own, but first she thought she'd stop somewhere for food._

 ** _(End of story)_**

* * *

Present Day

"So there you have it, that's the whole story." Connie explained, finishing her story. "Oh my goodness. You found the tomb of the Diamonds? That place was supposed to be hidden, for only the great diamond authority to find. I'm sorry, I should have gone back to help you." Pearl said apologetically. Connie said it was ok and that she did it for her friend.

"Wow...that's actually brave of you Connie. But don't do that again, you could have died...and I'm...well yeah, be more careful next time" Bismuth said, stroking Connie's hair in the process. "I will...anyways, I'd better go, my mom is probably wondering where I am right now." Connie said before she packed up her stuff and prepared to depart. Everyone then said their goodnights to her as she walked out, but somehow, Steven wanted to ask his friend something.

"By the way Connie, just before you do go, who was the name of that girl you met in school?" Steven asked, curious about why Connie didn't mention her name. "Oh, it doesn't matter. For now, let's just say she's...my friend." Connie said before she left for home. Steven became quite interested in who this mysterious friend was.

He then decided to forget it for now before he headed off to bed. As Connie walked home from her friend's place, she took out her phone and saw Nora's number that she gave before she left. "I'm sure someday I'll tell you Steven." She said, smiling.

On Connie's phone, though all her contacts, Nora's full name was revealed to be _Nora Universe_.

* * *

 **And there we have it, the end of this for now.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all loved this chapter and don't forget to comment your thoughts on this ^^**

 **Don't forget the Zoo arc special is coming up, so stay tuned**

 **Negaboss2000 out.**


	7. Gem Harvest

**Just a little heads up to everyone about this chapter**

 **It contains multiple flashbacks from previous episodes or during the war or afterwards.**

 **Anyways, please enjoy and comment your thoughts it you'd like.**

* * *

 **Gem Harvest**

One day, during the autumn

Steven and Connie were outside The Barn where Peridot and Lapis were currently staying and knocked on the front door. "Peridot, Lapis, Imperia, We're here! Did you forget that your favorite friends Steven and Connie were coming over to spend the night?" Steven called out. Sometime during the school term, Peridot and Lapis offered to let Connie and Steven spend time with them in their barn.

"I also brought Marshmallows for us to roast." Connie added with excitement. There wasn't any sort of answer much to the two kids' surprise, causing them both to look around for something to say they were both here. Connie then spotted am alien plush with antlers on top and told Steven about it.

"Aha! A door knocky thing!" He exclaimed with amazement before walking over to it and pulled on the rope. It wasn't a door knocker as it ended up falling off. "Or not..." Connie said sheepishly.

It was then that the two kids looked over at a field which didn't seem to be there before at the front of the barn itself. "Hey...that looks new." Steven said with amazement. "Do you think the gems are gonna be there?" Connie asked, Steven then said that there was only one way to find out.

"Peridot, Lapis, Imperia! I...I'm sorry I broke your thingy! Me and Connie wanted to fix it, but we didn't know how it goes together! It makes a pretty neat mask though." Steven said as he tried the mask and antlers on, causing Connie to laugh at his look.

The two kids then saw a farmland scenery which all kinds of fruit and vegetables. "Wow...Did I just die and go to the back of a cereal box?" Steven asked with amazement. "I dunno Steven, how can you die if I'm still here with you?" Connie asked rhetorically before laughing.

Steven and Connie both walked forwards before they're suddenly sprayed by a sprinkler om front of them, causing them both to yell in surprise. Lucklily, this gains Lapis' attention who was currently sitting on a lawnchair reading a book while putting water into the sprinklers.

"Hi, Steven. Hi, Connie." She greeted, stopping the water and flying over to the two kids. Meanwhile, Peridot was riding on a tractor and happened to notice them as well. "Steven! Connie!" She yelled before going a little too far to speak. "I'm on a tractor!" She finished as she came back.

"No kidding Peridot, they can already see you! Hello Steven and...Connie was it?" Variscite's said, appearing out of the field with Mali Garnet who wave at them. After the whole event with fighting Japser, Black Nephrite and the ruby squad, Lapis and Peridot decided that they'd allow Imperia, Variscite and Mali Garnet to stay in the barn along with any other gems.

Lapis then flew over to the two kids and landed beside them. "Did I spray you kids by accident?" She asked. "Just a little." Steven said as he shook his head back and forth to dry himself. "It's nothing to worry about though." Connie said, she too got a little wet too, she was trying to get the water out of her hair in the process.

"I'm so clad you two could make it" Lapis said as she laughed with excitement. "Steven, Connie! How do you like our little..." Peridot started, but as the tractor jolted, it nearly caused her to fall off. "...Experiment?" She finished with pride. "It's really amazing, I love what you did with the place." Connie complemented gladly. "I agree, what made you want to start farming stuff all of a Sudden?" Steven added.

"I've got all the skills required for growing Gems. So I figured, why not try growing something else?" She explained, jumping off the tractor. "And who knows? Maybe they're ready right now!" She continued with high hopes, pulling an ear of corn off the stalk before doing something completely new.

"Hello, corn." Peridot said, speaking to the corn and waiting for a response. Variscite facepalmed herself with embarrasment as this happened, but Connie was on the verge of laughing. "Hmm, maybe she can't hear me in there?" Peridot presumed, examining the corn before trying again. "I MADE YOU IN MY IMAGE, YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!" She yelled, causing Steven and Connie to then laugh in the ground.

"Wait, you didn't actually think that the corn was gonna walk right out of the ground when you told you to, did you?" Steven asked with the funny thoughts about what Peridot was doing. "It's actually not how vegetables really work." Connie added, chuckling causing Peridot's and Lapis' smiles to drop in a matter of seconds.

"It's not? Well then what's the point of corn?" Peridot asked as she the corn to the ground. "Well, according to my research on Earth, Corn is a cereal grain which was first discovered by indigenous people in the southern part of Mexico thousands of years ago. It's meant to be eaten by humans and it's really healthy." Variscite explained, she had been doing a lot of research on Earth after being released from her bubble.

"Ok...I have to admit...I've really been starting to miss the pitter-patter of the full-sized Gem soldiers..." Peridot admitted slightly. "Yeah...it does get pretty quiet around here..." Lapis added, sadly. "Come on you two, let's go disassemble the tractor." Peridot said as she and her aquatic gemfriend, Mali Garnet and Variscite left to do their business.

They actually allowed Mali to have the tractor instead of destroying it once they left. "All they wanted to do was make a living vegetable..." Steven said, feeling sorry for the gems. "Yeah...if only we could actually help them do that." Connie said, looking at how sad they were.

"Wait! I know how to do that!" Steven said with excitement as he forged a plan. "You do? How?" Connie asked as she watched Steven. "Garnet said I'm not supposed to lick stuff I find on the ground, but this is for a good cause." Steven said as he picked up a pumpkin seed and licked it before planting it into the ground.

Connie was unsure about this at first, but Steven reasured her that everything was going to be alright before deciding to go to the Barn. "By the way, where's Imperia? She said she was gonna meet us." Connie asked, realising the one gem who wasn't present.

"She said she'd meet us in the barn. I'll be she's there right now." Steven stated, remembering what he was told by Imperia.

* * *

The Next Day.

"Hurry, you two!" Peridot said with excitement as she dragged Steven and Connie through the corn field. "Peridot, slow down!" Steven chuckled. "But you need to see, we did it" She said, revealing Lapis, Mali, Vari and Imperia were observing what seemed to be, a small pumpkin with four stubby legs, two seeds for eyes, a carved mouth, a stem for a tail and a tongue made of pumpkin guts and pumpkin seeds for taste buds.

The pumpkin jumped up and down while barking...like a dog? "I guess you two don't know how vegetables work after all." Peridot stated, thinking that she proved the two kids wrong. "Heheh. Ok, I guess you guys sure showed us." Steven lied as Peidot went towards the pumpkin creature. "Come now, my little creation! You can assist me in harvesting the rest of your kind." She said as she detatched the pumpkin dog from the stem and held it in her hand.

Suddenly, the pumpkin dog jumped out of her hand and ran over to Steven and Connie. "Aw, he's so cute. Who's a good little Pumpkin, who's a good little Pumpkin?" Connie said, picking up the Pumpkin and stroking it. "Uhh, it must be the pumpin treats in my back pocket." Steven lied once again, earning a little glare from Connie.

"That doesn't make any sense. We made! It should listen to us!" Peidot yelled as she walked towards the two kids, annoyed at this. "Woah, take it easy Peri. You don't wanna end up like the Diamonds themselves do you? On Earth, you'll want to live your own life just like me and the girls." Vari explained, calming Peridot down a little. "But...it's only come into existance, and it already doesn't like us." Lapis said as she walked up beside Peridot along with Mali and Imperia.

"Come on, little Pumpkin. Go to Peridot and Lapis." Steven said as he attempted to push the pumpkin dog closer to Peridot and Lapis. It didn't work when the pumpkin jumped straight into Steven's arms. "I'm sorry...I think he's coming to me because...I'm...mainly the one who made him." Steven finally admitted.

The gems were shocked at first, but they calmed down after a millisecond. "Oh...That explains it." Peridot said in realisation. "Don't worry Steven, we made this one." Lapis said happily as she picked up a pumpkin. "Wow, it looks pretty cool." Imperia said in remark. "I think it looks too orange." Mali said, because of her cracked gem, Mali wasn't as smart as she used to be during the gem war.

"It's...ok. But look at Steven's. It's got a face and everything." Peridot said before looking over at Pumpkin who rolled around in the dirt. "That's true. Ours doesn't have a face..." Lapis stated sadly. "Oh no...I'm sorry..." Steven apologised, figuring he was responsible for this, the gems said it was ok even though it wasn't and then someone stepped in to make up for this.

"Oh come, come everyone. Cheer up chaps, In fact, stay put while I cook up an idea." Vari said as she ran towards the pumpkin field with the pumpkin dog following her. "Er...Vari? What's your idea?" Imperia asked with confusion.

"Simple: According to my research on Earth, it showed me how to do this...well once to be honest." Vari explained as she picked up a trowel. Steven knew what she was doing and tried to get her to stop. "First we make a mouth." She said while carving the trowel into the pumpkin, which confused the pumpkin dog. "Er...Variscite?" Steven said nervously, trying to gain the green gem's attention. "Then we make two eyes." Continuing, Variscite put two holes into the pumpkin and started frightening the poor Pumpkin dog.

"Um...Variscite..." Connie spoke, trying to gain the gem's attention. "Perfect, this looks magnificant so far. Oh, I almost forgot an important step." Variscite said, right before she carved into the pumpkin. "The humans must always hollow it out." She explained right before dumping the contents onto the ground.

When that happened, The poor little Pumpkin Dog freaked out, causing Steven, Connie and the other gems to feel sorry for the pumpkin who then ran straight into Lapis' arms as it growled for a moment before finally resting. "Yay, it loves us now." Peridot said with glee. "I'm happy for you two. That little doggy really seems comfortable around you both." Imperia remarked with amazement.

Variscite then went over to the gang, but before she could get near them, the pumpkin barked at the gem. "Aww, it's ok, Veggie Head. That green brute can't get you now." Peridot said with reassurance. "Green Brute? Whatever do you...? Oh...I get you now." Variscite said in realisation on what she had done, causing Connie to facepalm herself.

"Don't worry about it Vari, besides, it's always nice to have a new addition to the family." Steven said, putting his arm around Connie who snuggled into him a little when this happened. "Indeed, families are most important no matter what...from my research anyway." Variscite remarked.

At that moment however, a plane suddenly flew over the gang's heads and straight in the direction of their barn itself. Steven, Connie, Peridot and Imperia looked up in surprise before they all ran back to their barn.

"Um chaps, what's going on? Why did that plane fly overhead?" Mali asked with confusion. "Well obviously we're trying to find that out." Variscite yelled with annoyance.

* * *

Back at the barn

The pilot of the plane had parked the plane near the barn and had stood in front of the barn. "Ah...what?! What the...?! Hobos broke into the barn!" He yelled with shock. "HEY! Don't you dare touch are things!" Peridot yelled as she, Steven, Connie, Lapis and the others arrived in time.

"You're hobettes? A hobo is a man's job." The pilot said stubbornly, insulting the gang a little. He was shown to be wearing an olive-colored pilot's jacket over a gray undershirt, a pair of khaikis and black boots. The pilot was also wearing a brown aviator hat, but somehow...he kinda looked familir.

"Who's the human and what's he yelling about?" Lapis asked with curiosity. "The real question is: where are my attack drones?" Peridot asked as she pulled out a remote and pressed a button on it repeatedly. "They're too slow Peri, besides, my arrow is a lot faster." Imperia stated with annoyance.

"Wait a minute...Those mysterious constructions, your weird appearances, your strange jewels. I know what you are." The pilot said ominously, scaring Imperia and Mali. "You...you do?" Mali asked with a fright.

"Yes...you're hippies! I heard about you on the AM radio. What are you doin', comin' in her, socalizin' this fine, American barn?" Just hearing the pilot yell like that had the gems confused, but somehow relieving Imperia and Mali of any fear. Peridot then continued to press the button on her remote, causing Lapis to sigh before she used her hydrokinesis to construct a giant hand before picking up the pilot with it.

Boy was that pilot scared of how Lapis used the water, and that was right around the time when Peridot's drones arrived and surrounded him. "Oh, there they are." She said with satisfaction. "Hang on, I'll join in." Imperia said as she summoned her telepathic arrow and had it surrounding the pilot too.

"Guys wait! Don't hurt him!" Steven said, begging to give the man another chance. "But...he's attacking us, and our home." Lapis stated sadly. "Please, let us talk to him first." Connie asked with a pleading voice.

Imperia then allowed them to speak to the pilot with Variscite's permission. "Uh, Hello! How's it goin'?" Steven called up nervously. "Uh, how do you think?!" The pilot yelled down to Steven. "Uh yeah...We just wanted to know what you want." Connie then called up. "What I want? I want you hippies out of my barn!" He pilot yelled down to Connie before she and Steven looked at each other in confusion.

"You're barn?" They both said in unison as they looked at the gems in confusion. "Right...this is a lot more complicated than I thought. I'd better contact the others for backup." Variscite said before running off to find a communication device.

* * *

Sometime later

Steven's Dad, Greg, arrived in his van along with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Citrine and Bismuth who then approached the others. It was also around the time when Jade and her crew arrived with the rest of the surviving Crystal gems.

"There they are." Steven said, pointing to the gems. "About time too, what took you so long?" Vari said with annoyance. "Greg got the message and we came, too." Pearl said, explaining why they came too. "Is that the human giving you trouble?" Amethyst asked with no concern whatsoever. "Ai don't think 'e's much of a threat at all." Citrine said in agreement with Amethyst. "Who know? The human could be a homeworld spy like a Peach Beryl or a Champagne Citrine." Bismuth stated, looking at the the certain posibilities of who the human could be.

"I told you already, you lot could use a guard dog." Garnet stated with her usual coolness, which was right before the Pumpkin Dog ran up beside Lapis and barked, causing Pearl to look in absolute horror at the food creature. "I guess that works." Garnet admitted. "Are you kiddin'? That's amazing, with Rose's Phytokinesis, I'd say Steven did a pretty good job of giving Lapis and Peridot that guardian." Bismuth stated with amazement, earning Steven a few states from Garnet, Pearl, Citrine and Imperia.

Greg then stepped out of his van before seeing what was happening. "Hey, what're you guys doin' to that guy up there?" He asked with shock. Steven and Lapis looked at each other in concern before looking back at Greg. "Just...putting him down." Lapis said as she dropped the pilot onto the ground as Greg walked up to him.

"Not cool." The pilot said, drying himself off from all the water. He then took notice of Greg before something completely unexpected happened. "Greg?" The pilot said with shock. "Andy?" Greg said with confusion. "They know each other?" Pearl asked confusingly. "Er...Did I miss something?" Connie asked confusingly, seeing that Greg and that Pilot called Andy knew each other. All the while, Steven looked in confusion to what was going on.

"This is perfect! Come on, help me chase off these freeloaders. They're usin' some kinda hippie mind tricks" Andy said, looking quite delusional. "Um..." Greg started nervously. "Who told you lot to move in here and mess this whole place up?!" Andy asked with annoyance. "I did, Andy." Greg admitted sheepishly.

"You did? This is my parents' barn!" Andy yelled stubbornly, just as Steven and Connie walked over to the two adults. "Um, Dad, who is this?" Steven asked with confusion, causing Andy to turn around towards the two kids in surprise. " _Dad_? You mean...No way." He said with amazement. "Steven, this is Andy. He's my cousin. Andy, meet Steven. He's my...son, _also one of my kids anyway_." Greg said, introducing the two to each other. Oddly though, Bismuth thought she heard Greg say something about another child he had.

"Wow! It's really nice to meet you! Does that mean you're my... first cousin, once removed?" Steven said with excitement as he walked up to Andy. "Forget that nonesense!" He said as he pulled Steven into a huge hug, nearly promting the gems to attack if Jade hadn't have prevented them from doing so. "You can call me Uncle Andy. I'm and uncle. I can't believe it. Greg, ya little turd, how come you never told me about your tw...er I mean, your little boy here?" Andy asked, annoyed about not knowing about Steven.

"How was I supposed to? I haven't seen you in years!" Greg stated. "And who's fault is that? You thought you were so much better than us, you just got in your own van and drove away." Andy said, revealing how Greg became a muscian from his POV. "That was like two decades ago." Greg explained out of annoyance of accusation.

"Uncle Andy, can I get down now?" Steven asked politely to his uncle. "Oh, sorry. I ain't used to holdin' nephews. Also, who's this?" Andy said, turning his attention to Connie before she shook his hand. "Hi, I'm Connie. Steven's friend, I honestly didn't know Steven had any other family until now." She said with a smile. "Wow...I gotta tell you kiddo, you and your girlfriend are really cute together." Andy pointed out with amazement. Hearing this, caused Steven and Connie to look in shock at what he said.

"What? No, it's not what you think. Connie's just a friend, she usually helps out around Beach City, it's nothing more."

"Huh? Wait, no, no, no, no. You've got the wrong idea, Steven's just a friend I met on the beach, sure I do a lot of stuff with him, but it's nothing too much."

Both kids were speaking in unison before they looked at each other and blushed in embarrassment. "Nah forget it. I'm just teasin' you. To be honest, I never did that to a nephew before...'Cause I didn't know I had one!" Andy said before barking at Greg. "So, uh, which one of thes girls is the wife? I gotta give her my condolences, right?" He continued before laughing, but nobody even laughed along with him.

"Hey, come on. What, I gotta guess here? Well it can't be that short green gal, nor purple hair, not even that gorilla shaped girl" Andy said, insulting Bismuth who was on the verge of attacking him. "Let me guess, it's gotta be you. I bet this usless lump needs a big girl to keep him in line. You're not big, I'm just saying. You're tall, not, you know." Andy said before trailing off awkwardly.

"The _wife_ that you're talking about, isn't Garnet, not is it anyone else that you think with our team." Bismuth growled toward Andy, trying to contain her anger. "Eet eez true. Stevén's mothair eez actual-lee ur leadair, Rosé Quartz." Citrine admitted, looking down on the floor. "Oh...right. Where is she then?" Andy asked, hoping to meet her.

"Rose is...no longer with us." Greg mentioned, leaving out the part where she gave up her physical form for Steven. Many of the crystal gems lowered their heads in sadness. "Uh, wow. I..I'm sory. I didn't know." Andy apologised, stroking Steven's hair. "You see Andy, these people are sort of like her family, so I offered to let these two stay in the barn." Greg explained, gesturing Lapis and Peridot.

"Yeah? Ah, well, that was real nice of ya. But the barn's for the DeMayo family. More to the fact, how many of these people are there?" Andy said before noticing the number of gems. Greg was about to answer, but then he noticed that there were more gems that he used to see. "Uh...good point. Last time I checked there were only five of you, now there's...22? Steven...mind explaining?" He asked, turning towards the number of Crystal Gems in hopes for an explaination. "Well...I found Bismuth in a bubble somewhere, I met up with Jade in the big donut, later I met Citrine a while back and then Imperia was next to join us. Also, we found the rest of th on a ship just bubbled there until we rescued them. It's a long story." Steven said, explaining how the survivors were with Garnet and the others.

"Also, what's a DeMayo?" Connie asked, unsure about the name as Andy looked in surprise at her. "Andy DeMayo, Greg DeMayo, Steven DeMayo. We're the DeMayos." Andy explained to Connie who looked confused. "Actually, we're, um, the Universes, now." Greg explained, which Andy didn't take well. "You space walnut! You didn't even keep the family name, but you're goin' around, givin' family property out like candy on...some kind of candy-givin'-out holiday?" He growled stubbornly.

"You're telling me Universe isn't a real last name?!" Steven said in shock. Connie was even worried about this herself. "It is a real name. Andy look, they just really needed a place. They're alien refugees from space and..." Greg never got to finish as his cousin cut him off. "They're illegal aliens! You couldn't even marry an American?!" Andy yelled. "Well what does that matter?" Greg spat back.

"Hmm, come to think about it, DeMayo's a much cooler name than plain old Universe." Steven stated to himself. "Hey, just so you know, I think I love your last name as Universe. It sounds like a big deal to me...sort of." Connie said, forgetting the fact that Andy and Greg were still arguing.

"You turned your back on your family just so you could get in with a bunch of weirdo, hippie, Martian immigrants. You two, or lot, or...I don't care, get the heck off my planet, out of my country, and out of my barn!" Andy spat, insulting every one of the gems.

Shadow Agate was not pleased about this, nor was Bismuth, Peridot, Sphalerite or Imperia. "Reactivating attack drones." Perdot said, preparing to press the button on her remote. Imperia then summoned her telepathic arrow and prepared to strike.

"Ah! Wait! Uncle Andy?" Steven yelped before turning to his uncle. "Yeah?" He replied back to Steven. "I'm sorry we took over the barn. I didn't even know we had any other family to share it with. None of us did." The young boy admitted once he approached Andy. "You didn't, huh?" The uncle replied, turning towards Greg. "But this barn? It means a lot to all of us. We spent so much time together here." Steven explained, remembering the time when he and Pearl built an actual spaceship...which crashed before it went through the atmosphere, when he and the gems tried building a gem drill in order to prevent the cluster from emerging and destroying the planet, and even when he had his 14th birthday there.

"Well, my family spent a lot of time here too. Once a year, we'd all meet up here, catch up, eat a big meal, have a good time. Years and years of family tradition." Andy explained to Steven, telling what the DeMayos would usually do at the barn. "Oh yeah? Well we can do that too. We've got a big farm here with plenty of food. So, let's make a big, traditional meal and eat it together. You'll have a good time, and then you'll have to admit their family. Plus, would you kick family out of the family barn?" Steven said, epicly.

Connie nodded her head in agreement with Steven before Andy thought for a moment. "Ahh...Greg, you're lucky you've got such a cute kid. I know that he didn't get any of it from you." Andy stated. "Wait, so you're letting them..." Greg started, but Andy gave him the answer after a few seconds. "I'll give your coven a chance and eat your dinner, but only 'cause I lost my sandwich in the Atlantic. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go get my junk out of the plane." He said before leaving.

"You think this'll work." Steven asked his dad. "Maybe. I mean, Andy's never been the type to change his mind about something, and he's really got his longjohns in a twist. It's gonna take a lot to calm him down." Greg said before followed his cousin, just as the gems and Connie arrived.

"I don't like this guy. I don't like some new Greg just showing up out of nowhere." Amethyst admited bluntly. "Ai agree. Honest-lee, la on-lee gaireehla ai see haire, eez zat guy." Citrine said with agreement.

"Our greg is clearly the superior one." Pearl stated crossly. "Mother, I don't think Greg is superior, all humans are equal to each other right?" Jewel stated with concern. "Well...you might be right about that Jewel. Sorry, I just got carried away." Pearl apologised. "It's ok, besides, I'd say Andy is just stressed about something...well from the looks of it anyway." Jade stated, noticing when Andy was annoyed.

"We're _not_ leaving our home." Lapis stated firmly. "Agreed, I might have been here for a couple of weeks, but I'm not one to back down." Imperia growled, attempting to fire her arrow at Andy. "If that clod thinks he can PUSH US AROUND..." Peridot started to yell, but was cut off by Bismuth. "He won't be pushing nobody when I use the breaking point on him." She said, pulling out the weapon once again.

"NO!" Everyone yelled towards the rainbow gem in panic. "Relax girls, I was just joking." Bismuth said, putting the breaking point down where it accidently fired into a pumpkin and broke it, frightening the pumpkin dog again.

"Bismuth, speaking of which, you still didn't tell me why you really built the breaking point." Connie stated, hoping to get an answer this time. "Another time Connie, right now, I think we need to think about this logically." Bismuth stated, not wanting to reveal the truth yet. "Right, I'd say that we trigger a series of events which will eventually blow that human..." Variscite started, but was cut off by Garnet.

"Andy is a part of Steven's family. We should all make an effort to get on his good side." The fusion spoke. "I agree, besides, I'm not one to make someone angry...unless it's anyone bad like Jasper." Connie said with agreement. "If he's my family, he's yours too." Steven stated, making a good point, but not a good enough one. "Gems don't have family. At least, not before we came to Earth." Garnet said with a smile, also making Steven smile too as she leaned down.

"So for the sake of our family, tell us what to do." The fusion continued as Pearl, Amethyst, Bismuth, Citrine, Lapis and Peridot huddled up and looked towards Steven along with the other gems. "Lets get cooking." Steven said with determination.

"Alright, we'll need a few gems who can cook and I will need a gem who can breath fire or has a similar ability..." Variscite said, gaining all information on cookbooks, famous recipies and whatever she could look up in Earth culture.

Connie and Steven then looked at each other before thinking about what would be perfect to cook for the family meal.

* * *

On the vegetable fields

Garnet summoned her gauntlets without her knuckle dusters and punched the ground, causing several carrots to pop up into the air, right before Lapis and Butterwing flew down and caught them in a bag. "Ok, give me the next row." Lapis called out as she and Butterwing prepared get more vegetables.

"Alright Lapis." Garnet said before she punched the ground once again. All the while, Greg, Andy, Steven and Connie were watching what was going on. "Whoa. Your aunt is uh, pretty strong." Andy complemented with amazement. "Yeah, she works out." Steven explained with a smile. "Yeah, I'll bet." Andy replied back.

Meanwhile with Amethyst and Citrine, they both lauged around with the Pumpkin Dog before shapeshifting themselves into exact copies. They then started barking before the original pumpkin started chasing them around, making Steven and Connie laugh.

Garnet and Bismuth then started to harvest the corn before throwing them all into the air behind them and where they landed into the two bags where Lapis and Butterwing were. Accidently however, the Pumpkin dog ended up being put in the bag before Garnet threw a corn off into the distance. "Sorry, flyball!" She said before Lapis swung the bag around and caught it.

Steven and Connie were both excited that they were doing this for Andy, before long, Lapis set down the bag of vegetables revealing what they had. "This looks amazing." Steven said with amazement. "That all looks delicious." Connie added with awe, the pumpkin dog then emerged from the pile and barked happily.

"For a vegetable garden, I'd say we're pretty fruitful" Garnet said happily. "Yeah, this is what I call a legitimate _Bismuth._ " Bismuth joked before the duo laughed in agreement. "Is it just going to be a bunch of vegetables? I should have figured, you're a bunch of vegetarians." Andy said coldly. "A vegetable grown by a family's love nourishes the body and soul." Steven stated with a smile.

"We both read that phrase in a library book earlier this year." Connie stated enthusiastically. "Aw, don't let them get to you kids. I'll get you a stick of pepperoni for your birthdays." Andy said, annoying Connie a little.

With Peridot, Pearl and Variscite and Imperia, Peridot operates a control panel which seemed to be running some sort of engine combined with a cooker. Pearl inspected the top to see if it was hot enough. "Hmm, let's turn it down to about 2000 degrees, for now." Pearl said, Variscite then explained that the engine could overheat and explode if they weren't too careful. "Sounds puny, but ok." Peridot said as she turned the cooker down.

"I like the propellor on it. It's like Andy themed. I bet he's gonna love this." Steven said with amazement. "Speaking of which, we're ready for the veggies now!" Connie called over to Andy and Greg. "Be here in a sec, kids." Greg called back before he and Andy headed over to them and set the boxes of vegetables down.

"Hmm, this seems like too much if you ask me..." Andy started, but once he saw the propellor and engine, he flipped out. "Oh, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" He yelled in anger as his face turned red. "Uh, Uncle Andy?" Steven asked with concern as Bismuth, Garnet, Lapis and some of the gems arrived. "Dude...what's wrong?" Amethyst asked. "I'll tell you what's wrong. _'Dude'_! Everything! Do none of you see this abomination sitting in front of you?!" Andy yelled. "Um...what are you on about?" Connie asked nervously. "It's the engine, girl, the ENGINE! They butchered my parents' plane and bade, made...WHATEVER THIS THING IS!" Andy continued in a fit of rage.

"It's an oven cooktop combo." Pearl pointed out, but didn't make the situation anymore better than it already was. "It's TERRIBLE! That was the heart of the legendary wings of the ' _Daring DeMayos._ ' I learned to FLY on this plane!" Andy pointed out in anger. "No one was even using that junk." Lapis stated unamusingly. "Now it's actually good for something." Peridot added on with annoyance. "Who's the gorilla now?" Bismuth insulted in annoyance.

"See that's the problem with you people, you think everything just belongs to you, cause nothing belongs to anybody, and you take it, and everything's cool! And it ain't cool!" Andy stated, though he was more or less wrong. "Andy?" Greg asked with concern. "I'm gonna need a moment. I...I can't look at this right now." Andy said, covering his face before storming off. Steven and Connie looked at each other in concern. "Andy, hold up! They didn't know." Greg said as he followed his cousin. "Right, I get it. In-laws." Andy figured.

"This is going down in flames." Steven said with concern. "Yeah, I don't think any of this is working at all." Connie added. "Don't worry kids, I'm sure Greg will turn this around." Pearl reassured...which didn't last long. "What do you mean you weren't _technically married?!_ " Andy asked with shock. "Look, Andy..." Greg started speaking, but Steven was too fixated on work at the moment. "We gotta up our game. It's going to take the ultimate party to turn this around. Like, all the best parties of all time put together!" Steven stated, giving the gems a few ideas on what kind of party to throw Andy. "I think that's doable." Pearl stated, causing Variscite to look in shock at her.

* * *

After a few minutes

Pearl, Garnet, Bismuth, Peridot, Lapis and Imperia got into Greg's van and waved at Steven, Connie, Greg, Amethyst, Citrine and the others. "See you all in a bit." Pearl said as she drove off to find some party stuff. "Have fun!" Citrine and Amethyst called out in unison.

Steven and Connie then gathered around the table with Greg and Andy where there were potatoes and carrots there. "Alright, ready Connie?" Steven asked with confidence. "Ready." Connie said as she held up a knife. Suddenly, everyone turned towards Amethyst who held Pumpkin while it barked in fright.

"What's got into Pumpkin?" Amethyst asked before she jumped off her head and ran off. "Whoa! Chill out, dude!" The purple quartz said as she tried chasing Pumpkin who whimpered in fear of the knife. Realising about earlier, Connie then handed the knife to Steven with panic. "You sure you I can't help you two with anything?" Greg asked with concern. "It's ok. Connie, Uncle Andy and I've got it." Steven said before he noticed how Andy was able to peel the potato. "Woah! It's one peel!" Speaking with amazement, Connie then took notice to it and looked impressed.

"How are you able to do that?" She asked, wanting to know more about how he could just do one peel without getting it cut off. "Aunt Deb and I usually got put on kitchen duty when the family got together. I peeled a lot of potatoes back in my day." Andy said, explaining his family history, and also making Greg realise something. "Aw man, what's Aunt Deb been up to lately?" He asked.

"Suddenly you care about Aunt Deb? Oh, _Mr Curiosity._ Let's see if I can cram 20 years into a sentence." Andy said sarcastically. "Wow...Humans do tend to use that sort of language, called Sarcasm according to my research." Variscite said, noticing how annoyed Andy still was about the whole situation...and earning a glare from him in the process.

Steven then summoned his shield and put the vegetables that were cut into it. "Right, I'm gonna get these onto the stove." Steven said as Andy looked at him with a little freaked out expression, but he then calmed down and watched as Steven put his shield onto the bricks near the engine which functioned as a pot for the veggies to cook.

"Hehe. Hey, it works! You know, I guess it's good these plane parts are getting some use. Maybe recycling ain't so bad." Andy said with remark on the cooker. "Looks like you've got a new plane anyway." Greg stated, mentioning the plane that Andy first flew to the barn at a while ago. "And she's a good one too. Been all over the world in that thing." Andy mentioned, gaining the two kids' interest.

"You've been all over the world?" Steven asked curiously. "You better believe it. It's really something else, you know? Just you and the hum of your engine up in that thin air, no other people, no living things around to uh, keep you company." He started before pausing for a slight moment. "Buut, you know, it's not like there's much for me on the ground these days either, so..." He continued, but stopped sadly.

"Uh, Uncle Andy?" Steven said with a little concern. "Are you ok?" Connie added on before they heard the horn on Greg's van nearby. "Your aunts are back." Andy said as theg ems arrived with the groceries they needed for the dinner. "Hey there guys, did y'all _Bis-miss-th_ us?" Bismuth said within a joke, a few of the gems were unamused but Mali laughed along with it anyway.

"So Andy, we heard you like marriage, so we thought, why don't we all _marry_ each other?!" Pearl said with excitement as Peridot revealed a wedding cake with a lot of figures on it which discomforted Andy and even caused Variscite to cringe at this. "And if that's not human enough for you, we can throw in a little _being born_ and some dying!" Pearl stated as Garnet held a balloon saying _it's a boy_ and Lapis holding a tombstone with the title saying _RIP Andy_ on it.

"We're very sorry for your marriage." Lapis said cheerfully, but Steven, Connie and Variscite weren't even the slightest impressed, rather they were nervous about this outcome. "We tried covering as many celebrations in the human lifespan as we could." Pearl explained before Variscite came over.

"That sounds like an awful lot of work you put in Pearl. But apparently you forgot one thing..." Variscite said before gesturing Pearl to listen to her whisper. "THAT'S NOT HOW THOSE CELEBRATIONS WORK!" She yelled, nearly making Pearl Deaf. "Those celebrations are for important parts of a human life. When a child is born, when two lovers get married, or when someone dies or...why the heck is Dying even a celebration?!" Everyone turned towards Variscite who literally flipped out over the embarassment Pearl and the other gems had caused.

But in that moment of craziness, Andy laughed at the gems for what they did. "Ok, ok. I give up! It's too much! Alright, where am I sitting?" He asked while chuckling as he took off his hat, revealing to have silver hair.

* * *

That Evening

Everyone was sitting around the table. Steven, his friend Connie, his family, The Crystal Gems, the Survivors and even the new recruits too.

Peacock wanted to sit down, but she found that she couldn't without breaking the chairs. This lead her to defusing into her separate counterparts, Blue Topaz, Azotic Topaz, Mystic Topaz and White Topaz, before they all sat down at the table.

"What do you say we get right to it, huh? And hey. If we're throwing all tradition out the window, why don't we start with this gorgeous cake!" Andy said as he cuts a slice of wedding cake. "Desert before Dinner!" He laughed as he started to dig in. But then he stopped.

"Where are my manners? Steven, pass it on to your friend." After speaking, Andy handed Steven the cake so he could pass it to Peridot who took it off his hands. "Oh. Where are my manners?" The little green gem said before passing it on to Lapis. "Oh. Where are my manners?" She said before handing it on to Jade.

Jade then passed it onto her crew before they handed it onto, Mali Garnet. It was insane towards Variscite, but she went along with it anyway as she saw the plate being handed to her, she then saw that it was handed to Sphalerite, Shadow Agate, Butterwing, Ice, Azotic Topaz, White Topaz, Blue Topaz, Mystic Topaz, Bixbite, Imperia, Jewel.

"Oh my goodness, where are my manners? Here you go Mother." Jewel said as she handed her mother the cake who took it. "Oh, thankl you Jewel. But where are my Manners?" She said before handing the plate to Amethyst. "Oh. Where are my manners?" She said before handing her plate to her sister. "Oh. Whaire are mon mannairs?" Citrine said before handing her plate to Bismuth.

"Cheers Citrine, but where's my own manners?" The rainbow gem said before handing her plate over to Garnet. "Connie, here you go." The fusion said as she handed her plate to Connie. "Oh, thanks Garnet." She giggling...which also attracted Andy's attention. "What, you guys don't like cake?" Andy asked with confusion. "Gems don't really eat...well, except for Amethyst and Citrine." Steve explained.

"I'm good. I had about three bottles of cooking oil earlier." Amethyst said as she pounded her chest and burped out purple fire and also causing Citrine to laugh. "That's uh...alright." Andy said, feeling a little uncomfortable. "That's what we forgot, more cooking oil!" Pearl said in realisation. "And the shopping cart! We should have taken it." Peridot said as she joined. "We could've put it in the wall next to the truck." Lapis added. "You guys, that would have been stealing!" Imperia stated with annoyance. "Cause it's made out of _Steel_?" Steven joked, causing Connie to laugh.

"Steven, didn't we save the earth from the Cluster? We should have access to everything on it by right!" Peridot said with annoyance, but Variscite said that it didn't work like that. "Or at least get a discount." Lapis added. "You guys think you're saving the Earth..." Andy started, but was cut off by Pearl.

"Saving the Earth from Homeworld is its own reward" She stated truthfully. "It's true, I honestly didn't realise it until I saw it's beauty, even after I built the breaking point for...well never mind." Bismuth said, gaining a little bit of interest from Connie. "You know what would be a reward? A reward." Peridot joked as she stood up and high fived Lapis. "Alright, we don't wanna start another gem war at the table." Greg said nervously. "Oooh, don't start it." Garnet said as Amethyst giggled, not noticing the discomfort on Andy.

"What if I just come up to this table and started colonising it cause, _I'm a Homeworld Gem?!_ " Peridot joked, causing Steven, Connie and Lapis to laugh along with Jade, Imperia and Jewel. "But you can't! This table has corn on it and it's beautiful and we'll defend it!" Amethyst said with a high pitch, causing half the crystal gems on the table to laugh. "You're right. Now that I've spent most of my time at the table, I can see the value of your corn!" Peridot added as everyone laughed once more. "Why don't you put that corn i _n a mirror_ for _thousands of years_ and _then_ see how it feels about the table?!" Lapis stated about what happened to her, causing the gems to awkwardly look at her and Peridot who barely controlled herself while laughing. "IT WOULD REALLY HATE THE TABLE!" She added while laughing.

"You know what? Thank you Steven, and you too Connie. Thanks for putting this meal together, it was a great idea." Greg said, feeling grateful for his own son. "Oh no, I should be thanking Garnet and Bismuth. They gathered up all the vegetables." Steven said while gesturing the two gems. "Lapis and Peridot grew them. So thank you both." Garnet said calmly. "And let's not forget Butterwing, Variscite and Imperia who helped out too." Bismuth added. "I am truly honoured. But I think Lapis and Peri deserve all the credit." Imperia stated.

"Oh, but it was Pearl who drove us all the way to the _store_." Peridot stated. "Well, I have to thank Steven and Connie for cooking the vegetables. Along with Jewel who helped pick out the perfect recipes and Amethyst and Citrine for putting out that grease fire." Pearl stated. "And starting it." The two sister said in unison. "Oh, and lets thank Greg for lending us his van." Amethyst said to Greg.

"I guess you can say we can all thank each other." He laughed. "Yes! Was everyone thanked? Raise your hand if you were thanked!" Pearl called out, causing the gems to raise their hands, except for Andy of course. "Hey, uh...what about Andy?" Steven said, noticing this. "Yeah, I don't think we've thanked him yet." Connie stated.

Peridot thought for a moment before speaking up about Andy. "Hmm...thank you, Andy for...showing up! I mean, because of you, everyone came out here to the barn, and now we're all here for the first time in a long while. And it's honestly...pretty great! So...Cheers!" Peridot said with gratefulness, taking her plate and holding it up. This caused everyone else except for Andy to do the same before laughing with joy.

After that, Steven decided to ask a few things on the crystal gems. "So...seeing as how we're all here, why don't we talk about each other in the past? Jewel, how did you managed to not get corrupted?" He asked curiously.

"You had to ask eventually, so...here's the story. It's nice and short and straight to the point." Jewel stated before revealing how she and the survivors managed to survive the final attack from the diamonds with her holographic story.

* * *

 **(Jewel's Backstory)**

 _After Pink Diamond was shattered_

 _We drove the forces of Homeworld away with enough power before we all became victorious._

 _But when the Diamonds launched their final attack, many of our friends were wiped out._

 _Luckily we managed to survive the attack by hiding in the mountains and even blocking it's entrance...but at a price_

 _We were trapped there for 4000 years, eventually we got out but then we ran into the strange gem who could manipulate our fears and her own form._

 _All twelve of us were defeated and bubbled away, luckily your friend Imperia woke us up just in time for us to help out Garnet and the others_

 _So that's basically the story so far._

* * *

"So there you have it mother." Jewel explained, causing her mother to tear up at the thought of how Jewel managed to help her allies. "Oh Jewel, you are such a little angel." She said hugging her own daughter.

"Nice. That's a good way of surviving Jewel. Alright, who's next?" Steven asked before seeing Citrine hastily put her arm up.

"Oh, me me me mé! Ai went to go néxt!" She said before getting her turn.

* * *

 **(Citrine's Backstory(via her french accent)**

 _Ai was a loné-lee gem 'idéng een la delta kintairgarden_

 _Too afraid to come oot of mon 'ule bécause of all le fighteng_

 _But whén ai did, ai was all alone, fair yairs..._

 _Until, ai met... Hair._

 _Rose Quartz and hair companions._

 _Zey took me een, tréated me lik fami-lee, and een return, ai gave zem a lit-tell 'appinéz._

 _Amethyst alwais treated mé as a seestair, main-lee because we both camé oot wrong_

 _Wiv Ametriné, we waire maire powairful But un dai, thengs went wrong Dureng a fight wiv a cairruptéd gem, ai zumhow deestracted Amethyst who got poofed_

 _Zen ai got upsét et manajed to get poofed myself._

 _But ai vowed not to come oot until eet was time to reunite wiv Améthyst..._

 _Ai zen met up wiv you and Bismuth... And hairé we are now._

* * *

Hearing her own story made Citrine sad, but luckily Amethyst was there to cheer her up.

"Anyone else have a story?" Steven asked, looking around the table. "I've got one. It's about one of our own allies, you're gonna love this one." Bismuth said with excitement before explaining her story.

* * *

 **(Backstory of Purity 'Paragona' Diamond)**

 _Purity Diamond_

 _The soul hope for the Crystal Gems, our greatest ally_

 _Purity was capable of every power that any gem could use within every court of the Diamond Authority._

 _She was by far, the smallest Diamond who ever came out of the ground._

 _Purity was supposed to be the ultimate super-weapon for colonising planets, but there was a slight problem...she ended up being too small and too caring for other lifeforms, just like Rose did._

 _Luckily I managed to get her off homeworld and transported to Earth before they could break her._

 _Eventually when the Crystal gems formed, she helped Rose no matter what happened._

 _But way after war from what Garnet said, she vanished. We haven't seen her since_ _._

* * *

Thinking about it, Connie realised something. "You know, I found a page in Buddy Budwick's journal about that. Something called, _The Lonely Wanderer._ Do you think..." She said, but immediately dismissed it.

"How about we go with me next?" Imperia asked, Steven agreed to this and allowed Imperia to speak.

* * *

 **(Imperia's backstory)**

 _As I emerged, all the Topazes saw that I was too skinny._

 _Eventually I was to fuse with a partner_

 _But the only problem was, if I did, I would go blind._

 _Scared of this, I escaped homeworld and tried fighting off as many forces as I could._

 _I then tried fleeing somewhere, but I failed and got caught._

 _For the next 3300 years I was made a slave to Black Nephrite and the ruby squad until I decided to stop being what they wanted and helped others._

* * *

"Well you don't have to worry about them anymore Imperia. You've got us now, we'll always be family no matter what the cost is." Steven said to Imperia and everyone else.

This got Andy's attention and when everyone laughed in agreement, he looked over at the wedding cake where he saw the single groom figurine on his slice of cake. Which made him recall something sad. "You can have it. The barn. It's yours." He said calmly before standing up, putting his hat on before storming off. Everyone looked confused and sad at the same time, Connie then stood up from the table and went over to reason with him, not noticing a red mist creeping up behind her.

"Er...Did we do something wrong?" Pearl asked with confusion, looking at Andy as he left. "I thought I said something sentimental." Peridot stated. "Um...I think he's leaving and...wait where's Connie?" Bismuth started before noticing Connie wasn't anywhere to be seen.

The engine on Andy's plane then started up and Everyone saw him flying off, much to Steven's shock anyway. "No! Wait, he can't leave! Lapis?" Steven said before looking at Lapis who nodded. "I'm coming too, I think I know where Connie is!" Butterwing said before she summoned her wings.

* * *

High up in the air

Andy planned on leaving everything behind, but somehow he didn't notice that Connie was hiding in the back or the fact that Steven, Butterwing and Lapis were flying not far behind him. "Ugh, what was I thinking?" He said as he put his hand to his face. "Hi Uncle Andy!" Steven called from beside the plane.

This in turn caused Andy to look to his left to see him, Lapis and Butterwing flying right alongside his plane. "Ah, what...what are you doing kid?!" He asked with shock. "I thought everything was going really well! Is something wrong?!" Steven called over to the plane. "Yeah, something's wrong. YOU'RE A MILE IN THE SKY, HANGING OFF A FLOATING LADY AND HER FRIEND! GO HOME!" He yelled before he began to fly faster, but luckily Steven followed him over the ocean along with Lapis and Butterwing before leaning close to the water.

"Why'd you leave?" Steven asked. "I'm the only one who didn't! First it was your goofball father who was the first one to hightail it out of here. Then after him, it was Aunt Deb. She and her partner got in the RV. No reason to stick around with that thing! Grandpa moved to the keys, too old to make the drive anymore. I was the only one who tried to keep everything how it used to be. I knew what it meant to really be a family. And look what that got me, huh?! Nothin'!" Andy explained, revealing why he left before accelerating his plane faster which dashed high into the sky.

"Ah, no wait!" Steven said in a panic. "Hold on!" Lapis said as she accelerated with the help of her wings in order to follow Andy while Steven screamed in surprise. Andy tried going higher into the clouds and even got angrier as Steven, Lapis and Butterwing tried catching up, when suddenly he heard a yelp from behind in the passanger seat.

Looking behind, Andy then noticed Connie in the backseat trying to hold on while Andy flew the plane roughly. "Connie?!" Andy and Steven said in unison. "Could you try and not fly so roughly?! You're gonna end up chucking me out!" Connie called out to the front. "What the heck are you doin' on my plane kid?!" Andy asked with shock. "I tried to talk to you but you didn't listen to me, then I ended up in on your plane and I have no idea how..." Connie explained before Steven interrupted the moment.

"Lapis, throw me onto the plane!" Steven said, figuring that it was the only way to get to Connie. The water gem then agreed to do so before Andy spoke. "What?! I swear, if you throw him, I'll..." But before he could finish, Lapis threw Steven onto the wing of the plane. "Try to stay alongside us, I'll get Connie and then get you can get her back to the barn!" Steven said before he tried making his way to Connie. "You got it!" Lapis said.

Steven then tried making his way to Connie but because of the weight, he ended up lunging forwards. "You're throwing off my balance, you're gonna bring us all down!" Andy said with anger. "Steven, he's right! Try not moving as much, that'll save us." Connie stated with fear.

"Andy! I love that we both eat cake!" Steven said, trying to convince Andy to turn around. "What?!" Andy shouted in confusion. "And you have that cool hat! And you know how to peel potatoes! And you need a plane to fly! I love the Gems, but I'm human too! I never had a chance to know that part of my family! But now I do. Andy, I want to be your family!" Steven said, calming his uncle down. "Andy he's right, it's the reason you came back to the barn, isn't it?" Connie said with realisation.

Andy fell silent for a few seconds until the plane started going downwards once more. The engine suddenly jolted causing it to suddenly fall, and causing Steven to slip sharply. "Ah, Steven, you better hold on! Something's messin' with the engine!" Andy called up to Steven who tried hanging on with his life. Steven tried holding on but ended up slipping off the wing, barely managing to hang onto the edge. " _ **Ugh, boring.**_ " A voice said, suddenly appearing in the form of a red mist within the engine before appearing on the wing in the shape of a gem like Smoky Quartz, but more greener and freakier. Her gemstone was similar to Steven't but with more dark green with bits of red on it and it was also upside down.

"Hey, get off my plane you dumb hippie!" Andy said, trying to shake off the gem, but in the process, the gem then kicked Steven's hand off, causing him to fall down. "STEVEN!" Connie and Andy said in unison as Steven fell towards the ground at a rapid pace. "LAPIS!" Steven called out, causing the blue gem to rapidly fly after him. "YOU MONSTER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO HIM?!" Andy growled angrily. " ** _Ugh who cares about Rosie? Besides, I'm here on a mission and I'll complete it no matter what!_** " The gem said before turning into her mist form and tried affecting both Andy's and Connie's minds.

In turn, the pair began to hallucinate violently. " _ **Hehe, you humans are wrong, especially the young female. You're both wrong if you think I'm going to spare you both!**_ " The gem said before trying to throw Connie out of the plane. But when she tried grabbing her, another hand grabbed her's, causing the two humans to snap out of the hallucination. "And you're wrong if you think I'd let you hurt them!" A voice said from beside the gem.

Looking up, the gem saw a pinkish-purple gem. Somehow this gem had shades of dark purple and lavender within her hair, dark purple eyes, wore a pink shoulder-less top with a star over a purple halterneck top, a dark purple skirt over a pair of shorts. Something about this gem was familiar to Connie, until she saw Steven's gem which had turned purple and Lapis' water wings which were currently flying. "St...Steven?" Connie asked in shock before the gem looked down towards her. "Don't worry, Steven is safe Connie. For now, consider me an ally." The fusion said with a smile.

" ** _Ugh, typical fusion. Who've you become now Rosie?_** " The dark green gem asked. "Simple, I've become Spirit Quartz. A harmonic fusion between a Rose Quartz and a Lapis Lazuli." The fusion called Spirit Quartz said, revealing her name. " ** _Alright enough. Let's get down to battling._** " The gem said before summon her gem weapon: a similar weapon design to Bismuth's Breaking Point, only it looked more gem tech styled. "Oh come on, as if one breaking point was bad enough!" Spirit said in annoyance before dodging the attacks that the gem made in the air. Spirit then summoned Steven's shield and even a batch of water before turning it into her gem weapon: A pair of aquatic shelled mammals.

Spirit fought the gem as long as she could and then noticed that Andy's plane was falling rapidly, so she decided to finish the fight with Butterwing's bow, which struck the gem fatally, before she then flew rapidly downwards and saved the plane. " ** _Well played Rosie, but this is far from over! My Diamond, Black Diamond will have the Earth! You heard it from Bloodstone!_** " The gem known as Bloodstone warned before turning into her mist form again and flying away. "Hmm...better tell Bismuth about this." Butterwing said before diving down with Spirit Quartz to help out Andy and Connie.

"Come on, come on, come on! PULL UP!" Andy said, trying to pull his plane up before it hit the ocean. The main propeller on the front of the plane had stopped moving, which was a huge problem and was overall, considering that the entire plane would crash. "Don't worry Andy, I've got it!" Spirit Quartz said, appearing beside the plane.

The fusion then went in front of the plane to get the engine running again. It took a few tries and dangerously nearing the ground, but luckily Spirit managed to get the engine running again, and Andy quickly pulled the plane up right before it hit the ocean. "Wow, Nice recovery Andy." Connie said with relief. "Yeah, that was really a close one, Uncle Andy! You're so amazing at..." Spirit started, but cut off by Andy's harsh voice.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU, TO EITHER OF YOU TWO?!" He yelled, surprising Spirit and Connie in the process. "What good are you to family if you're..." As he turned around, Andy revealed showed that he had tears in his eyes before he covered it up again. "Sorry. Look I just...I'm just glad you two are safe." He said, making Spirit and Connie smile.

As the plane and Spirit Quartz flew over the ocean on the horizon, she and Andy decided to talk about what was bothering him...mainly because Spirit was sitting on a flying sea turtle. "It just doesn't feel fair, everything got so different. I wanted everybody to stay the same, but they...they just didn't...Geez. What am I even doing? I got an airplane. I could've been visiting everybody, everywhere they went. I could have known about you. I guess I could have just changed too, you know?" Andy explained, revealing that he just wanted everything to stay the same.

"You know...it's not too late to change your mind. We're here for you. If you want us to be." Spirit said kindly, causing Andy to smile. "Plus, I think I need to get back to the barn, I can't go everywhere with you." Connie stated jokingly, causing everyone to laugh.

Back at the barn

Everyone was concerned about what happened to Connie and they were even concerned about Andy, if he was furious or not. All the while, Peridot was busy talking to the Pumpkin Dog with her understandings. "No! Say clod! Cl-od!" She said, but the pumpkin dog barked, not speaking any English.

Suddenly, Andy's plane and Spirit Quartz's Sea Turtle flew back to the barn and gained everyone's attention. "Connie, oh there you are. And...er...Steven? Lapis?" Pearl said, gaining notice of Spirit Quartz when she dismounted her sea turtle. "Hey there. Ok, big guy, you've done your job." Spirit said to everyone before desummoning her turtle and helping Connie out of the plane.

"Oh my stars. You both fused? Before me?!" Peridot said with shock, surprised that Lapis was the second gem to fuse with Steven. "Wow, first Smoky Quartz and now...this? I think you'll get better than Garnet or Peacock someday Steven." Bismuth stated, causing the purple fusion to blush. "Hehe, thanks Bismuth." Spirit replied before unfusing into Lapis and Steven. "What'd it feel like Lapis? Nothing like Malachite I presume." Amethyst said, mentioning that horrible monstrous fusion between Lapis and Jasper.

"It was...well, more peaceful than being with Jasper and more loving on Steven's side." Lapis said, stating her of the fusion. Andy then showed up once he got out of his plane. "Oh Andy...it's good to see you again. I'm sorry if..." Pearl started apologising, but Andy cut her off before she could. "Hey! Uh, you guys probably got a lot of leftovers right? I...I just figured I'd come back and help you with that. You know, since you guys don't eat and all." He said nervously, causing Pearl to smile.

"Yes, of course. We'll get everything in order." Pearl said before noticing Butterwing land beside the crystal gems. "Bismuth, Pearl, Garnet, I need a word!" She said before gesturing the gang to follow her along with Lapis, but Peridot stopped to speak. "Wow, thanks for the barn!" She said before catching up with the others.

"Hey, Andy? I'm really glad you came back." Greg said, heading over to his cousin before Andy smiled and took Greg in for a hug. "Ah, come here you goofball!" He laughed. "You need a haircut, son." He continued before he and Greg laughed, causing Steven and Connie to look at each other, smiling.

The Pumpkin Dog then arrived, barking in the process. "Hey Pumpkin." Connie said, petting the little veggie dog. "Hey, you got some leftovers for me too, you little...you little freak of nature there?" Andy asked. At that moment, Pumpkin coughed up a groom figurine from the wedding cake, causing Steven, Connie, Greg and Andy to laugh for a bit. "That's, uh...that's gross." He said sheepishly.

Steven then heard raised voices over by the barn along with Connie. Turning in the direction of the source, the two kids saw the gems shocked about what happened with Butterwing in the sky. "...Apparently, Bloodstone was working for Black Diamond! I couldn't believe it myself, what are we gonna do?!" The winged quartz said in fear.

"Ok, for now, we keep an eye out for Bloodstone or Black Diamond no matter what." Bismuth said, forming a plan for defence. "Oh relax you guys, Black Diamond's not a member of the authority, though she acts like it, she's a phoney clod, just take it from me." Peridot stated, but grabbed by her outfit by Variscite who said that Black Diamond was a huge threat.

* * *

Meanwhile

On one of the dark colonies of homeworld

Bloodstone was in a watch tower filled with Enhydro Agate, Aventurine and Hambergite Soldiers, speaking to her superior who sat with her backs to her own court. The only one speaking for her, was the Black Pearl.

"My Diamond says it's impossible, all of the crystal gems were wiped out! None of them survived the final attack!" The Pearl said with annoyance. " _ **I speak the truth my diamond, it was actually Rose Quartz herself! Although, she didn't look like Rose, she was...**_ " Bloodstone started, but cut off by the pearl once again.

"If My Diamond says it's can't be, then it isn't! Besides I..." The pearl started, but cut off by a harsh voice. "PEARL!" The Diamond bellowed, banging her fists on her throne. "Y...yes my diamond?" The pearl said nervously. "I will speak to her, you're dismissed." The Diamond said before clapping her hands. "B..b..but with all due respect My Diamond, this is actually impossible that Rose Quartz is stil al..." But before the Pearl could finish, the Diamond's hand started glowing a black aura before she snapped her fingers.

By snapping her fingers, she caused her own pearl to turn into a monster before she had one of her own quartz soldiers poof her. "Proceed Bloodstone." The Diamond spoke, still having her back turned to her court. " _ **As I was saying, Rose Quartz and her allies are still active. You know, the renegade Pearl, the Blacksmith Bismuth, that fusion from Blue Diamond's court. And from what I've heard, they've retrieved some of her allies from Commander Black Nephrite's squadron.**_ " Bloodstone explained.

"Heh, Typical of her...well either way. I'm quite keen on seeing Rose once again. There's something...strange about her that I'm quite keen on seeing." The Diamond muttered, furious at not gaining the surviving members of the Crystal Gems. "Either way, keep your eyes on them. Sooner or later they're bound to do something." The Diamond spoke before glancing at Bloodstone with one eye.

" _ **As you command My Diamond.**_ " Bloodstone spoke, preparing to depart once again. "Oh and one other thing: Why not bring _her_ along with you to Earth?" The Diamond spoke, annoying Bloodstone in the process. "Her? That, useless Crystal Gem?! I wouldn't rely on her for..." Hearing this, The Diamond spoke up harshly but firmly. "Questioning my Authority?" She said.

"No...My Diamond. I'll be on my way then." Bloodstone said before getting underway towards spying on the gems once again. "That would be best." The Diamond said, turning back to her monitors.

She then took up a Diamond Communicator before speaking to one of the other members of the authority, Yellow Diamond. "Ah Yellow Diamond. How have you been?" She asked rhetorically before making Yellow annoyed. "Ugh, Noir, would you just get to the point?" She said, putting her hand to her face in annoyance.

"Indeed I will, Aureolin...um...Yellow. I will be needing a new Pearl, and my Spy's also said we've found Jasper...unfortunately, there was a slight delay...well a big delay to be honest. But hopefully..." The Diamond explained, only to be cut off by Yellow.

"Honestly, Noir. You've asked me this millions of times, Yes, when we gain The Cluster, we will lend you the Earth and any other planets...if it's not torn apart first that is." Yellow said firmly. "We both agreed to this deal without the other members of the authority. I would advise that you don't become like Pink Diamond...and hope you did a good job of looking out for any of those Crystal Gem survivors, Black Diamond." Yellow said before hanging up on the Diamond.

"Oh, more than you realise Aureolin." Black Diamond said before turning around towards her whole court, revealing to be a dark grey Diamond with black hair, dark eyes, wearing a sleeveless suit containing shades of grey and dark grey and all four symbols of The Original Great Diamond Authority on the suit, dark grey gloves with sharp fingers and very sharp teeth in her mouth. He gem was located upon her navel and was a five-sided diamond with multiple facets on the top.

"As for the rest you, Red and Blue..." Black Diamond said before using her finger to crush the diamond communicator with just a slight movement. "...I'll be sure to reunite you both with your beloved sister, once and for all." Speaking evily, Black Diamond laughed, frightening some of the members in her court, right before using her powers to drain the light from multiple Agates.

That Diamond...was something else...nothing like any members of the great Diamond Authority.

* * *

 _ **(1)Introducing**_

 _ **Zoe Saldana**_

 _ **as Black Diamond**_

* * *

 **Oooh, shocking reveal eh?**

 **Anyways, the next chapter will be a prequel on what happened with Connie during _Last one Out of Beach City_ and the one afterwards will be a special one which involves the Zoo arc, so I'll be sure to get that out as soon as I can, so stay tuned.**

 **(1) Doctor Who Reference**

 **Well, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and be sure to comment on what you think of it** **. Anyways, stay awesome everyone ^^**

 **Negaboss2000 out**


	8. Space Zoo

**Here we are everyone**

 **Just to give you a heads up, this chapter is a special one. It will have all the episodes for the Zoo Arc and a couple of new characters.**

 **So anyways enjoy**

 **'Cause this story's gonna be _Out of this World_. Literally.**

* * *

 **Space Zoo**

 _Lush grassy fields..._

 _That was the first thing that Steven noticed briefly before seeing some flowers in front of him. All of those flowers looked like...hollyhocks._

 _Steven wondered why he was looking in a place like this despite the beautiful sight._

 _''Steven? Steven? Steven.''_ A voice called out, causing Steven tow wake up. Oddly, he woke up with tears pouring down his face.

The young boy was shocked when he wiped the tears off of his face, wondering why he had been crying and how. Steven then realised that he was in the back of his Dad's van along with Connie while watching a film which involved a UFO abducting a cow.

Today, Greg had asked Connie and Steven if they wanted to watch an old film on the old tv which he owned. They were really excited about watching it and they both agreed. yet somehow, Connie and Steven fell asleep during half the film. ''Are you ok, bud? You and Connie fell asleep during the movie. I was gonna let you sleep like Connie, because you looked so cute, but then you started crying which was less cute.'' Greg said awkwardly as Steven wiped away the tears from his eyes.

''Haha, no, I'm fine. I honestly dunno why I was crying. My dream wasn't really sad at all.'' Steven said, still wondering what his dream was even about before yawning.

Greg then checked his watch to see what time it was. ''Oh gee, look at the time, _and_ my new classy watch.'' He joked before continuing. ''Let's get you two home, bud.'' He finished.

* * *

After putting away the video set

Greg drove over to Connie's house where he dropped her off. She was a little cranky when Steven woke her up, but she managed to say goodnight before heading inside to her parents.

Steven was then taken back to the temple's beach house. Greg walked him up to the stairs while having their conversation about the movie they were watching. ''...Eh, you two didn't really miss much. As it turns out they were abducting cows 'cause they needed milf for their cereal planet.'' Greg said as Steven started to climb the steps up to his house before abruptly stopping.

''Dad, before you go...can I ask you something?'' Steven asked as he turned around to face his dad. ''Yeah, of course.'' Greg said, listening to what Steven had to say. ''Did...Did Mom ever talk to you about...Pink Diamond?'' He asked, fearing what the answer could be. ''There were a lot of things that your mom didn't like to talk about. So I never pressed her for details.'' Greg said, rubbing his head after hearing that question.

''Why not? Steven asked. Greg then walked up the stairs and sat down beside Steven before explaining. ''Rose and I usually talked about a ton of important Stuff. You know, like music, comic books, even sand getting between our toes, y'know...feelings. We both made a lot of mistakes when we were very young. I thought that the disco was coming back, she started a war...I think she felt like she needed to confess it all to me, but I told her, _The past is the past. All that matters to me is who you are now._ And who she was, was an incredible and really loving being.'' He explained, comforting Steven in the process.

Though it bugged him, Steven ended up hugging his dad who hugged him back. "Night, Dad." Steven said as this happened. "Night, Steven." Greg replied back before he left. Inside the house, Steven got ready for bed and then crawled onto it, looking up at the ceiling, still thinking about his own mother...the woman who gave up her own form for him, shattered a Diamond.

Thinking about it wasn't going to help, so the young boy decided to sleep on it, making sure that he'd wake up nice and fresh in the morning.

* * *

 _Steven then dreamed of the same place where he first dreamt back in the van with the hollyhocks in the lush grass fields._

 _"Oh...I'm here again...huh? I guess I can look around now." Steven thought, discovering that he was able to get more of a look around the fields and nearby trees, mountains and other nice things._

 _"What is this place?" Steven thought before he looked around some more. "What's...what is...woah..." He thought as he_ _then noticed something, a ruin of what appeared to be the remains of some kind of Palanquin, one that was pink and had the structures and hole shapes in the design form of flowers._

 _What's more was that there were flowers growing all around it._

Steven suddenly woke up in fright, sitting up in his bed. He then noticed tears on his face before wiping them off, thinking that there was something suspicious about all this. He needed to figure it out, but how?

* * *

The next morning

Connie swept off a bunch of papers, a cup and a pencil off the living room table with excitement as Steven sat next to her. "Sorry, I'll clean that up later!" She said before she took the journal of Buddy Buddwick from her bag and placed it on the table.

"When you told me about your dream, I thought it sounded familiar." She said before flipping through the book until she found the page containing _The Palanquin_. "That's it! The...Palenquin." Steven said, getting the name wrong. "Actually, it's pronounced Palan-keen." Connie said, correcting him.

Just then, the warp pad activated, which meant that the gems were warping in which was the perfect opportunity for the two kids. "It's the gems! They've gotta know about this thing!" Steven said with determination. Cheerfully as Steven grabbed the journal, the two kids went over to the warp pad just as Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl and Bismuth warped in.

"...I know right, Garnet? I mean, you managed to kick the light outta Hessie when that happened." Bismuth said before noticing the Steven and Connie. "Yo." Amethyst said. "Bonjour." Citrine greeted with a smile.

"Hey, do you guys know anything about this thing?" Steven asked, showing the page in the journal on the palanquin and showing the gems. Amethyst and Citrine both lean in to look at the page a little closer.

"Hmm, Steven, you deserve to know the truth. And the truth is... I have no idea what that thing is, I've never seen it before in my life." The purple quartz joked. "Ai agree. Ze truth from me eez zat ai 'aven't got le slightest idea on what zat theng eez. Ai am speakeng to you Connié, by le wai." Citrine said.

Pearl then stepped between the two sisters to take a closer look. "Excuse me, Amethyst, Citrine, Allow me." She said before viewing the palanquin. "Uh, well... it appears to be an illustration in some kind of journal." Pearl stated, sounding suspicious the way she talked. "C'mon you know what I mean. I had a dream where I saw this thing. Connie and I were wondering if maybe..." Steven started but Pearl cut him off.

"S...Steven, why don't you and Connie..." Pearl started, until Bismuth decided to fill in the gap. "A dream you say? Well I would say that it's none of your _Bismuth_ , but in this case, I'd be more than happy to..." The rainbow gem said, but Garnet cut her off when she put her hand on Bismuth's shoulder. "You can't go there!" Garnet said hastily, causing a shocking silence through the house.

"Er...why not?" Steven asked in confusion. "Yeah, why not? Jinx!" The two quartz sisters said in unison. Garnet never answered back, raising a lot of suspicions from the fusion. "I thought you were going to tell me everything from now on." Steven said as he closed the journal.

"Oh, Steven... We..." Pearl started, but then allowed Bismuth to finish. "Look, it's not like we don't want to...well I want to anyways, it's that sometimes we can't and..." The rainbow gem started, but cut off when Steven opened the book and pointed to the Palanquin once again. "Does this have something to do with Pink Diamond? I know mom shattered her, so what is it about this that you can't tell me?" Steven said forcefully, causing Pearl to wince, cover her mouth and turn towards Garnet.

"Please, you're making Pearl very upset." Garnet stated firmly. "No! I'm very upset!" Steven yelled in annoyance, causing Connie, Citrine Amethyst to worryingly look at each other as they backed away from the young boy. "Garnet come on, can't I just take the kids to see..." Bismuth started, but was cut off by Garnet, harshly. "We're. Not. Going. Rose never wanted Steven to see that place." The fusion stated...from what Rose told her.

"Rose wante...Rgh, what about what _I_ want? I'm sick of everyone lying to me! Rose is _my_ mom, out of anyone, don't I deserve to know the truth?!" Steven growled in fury while Amethyst and Citrine eat a box of popcorn, they offer some to Connie but she rejected it. "Not when you put it like that." Peridot said, suddenly appearing behind Garnet, causing Steven to growl at the little green gem. "This isn't the time." Garnet said, trying to drop the subject. "I don't care! I wanna go there now!" Steven demanded. "STEVEN!" Garnet said until Connie stepped in on the argument.

"I'm sorry...I...I shouldn't have brought the book." Connie awkwardly. "Yes, you should've brought it. It's lucky something has information that I don't have to get out of _them_!" Steven yelled, pointing at Garnet and Pearl, shocking everyone in the process.

A harsh silence befell the house before Peridot spoke up. "Wow...that's new." She said sheepishly before Steven glanced at her. "Connie, I need to borrow this book." Steven asked rhetorically, hoping to use it. "Ok, just be careful. I gotta return it to the library in a week." Connie said, before Steven walked off, thanking her on the way out.

"Wait, Steven, where are you..." Connie started, but cut off when Garnet took hold of one of her shoulders. "Um, can someone please explain to me what was going on? I was a little lost." Peri asked, but earned a glare from Pearl and Bismuth when she did.

* * *

Outside

Steven sat on the steps of his house, looking at the image of the palanquin in the journal and also looking quite fixated on finding out more about the palanquin itself.

That was when Garnet came outside, which the young boy figured when he heard his own front door opening. "Steven, d...don't go. You have to trust me." The fusion said, sounding quite scared of something, like it was going to happen. "I don't understand Garnet. At least _you're_ usually honest with me. Even when it's just Ruby and Sapphire." Steven stated as he turned around, making a good point.

"I really want to be, but if I tell you why you shouldn't go, you'll only want to go more." Garnet said, proving she was right. "What?! Well now I really want to go!" Steven said in shock, becoming more and more fixated on going. "Th...ugh, I shouldn't have said that. You can't go, because I can't go with you." Garnet said, sounding like Ruby and Sapphire were having trouble staying together.

"Why not?" Steven asked, but Garnet didn't answer back and just turned away. "Garnet, why not?" Steven asked, trying to get the fusion to speak. "I...I'm scared, I...I...I can't get near her." She responded, freaking out someone. "Ah! Her! Her who?!" Steven asked, spotting that Garnet made a big mistake by telling him.

"Ah, shoot now I've made it more interesting!" Garnet said in realisation before Connie and Peridot came out to the balcony to see what was happening. "Steven please, just stay here." Garnet said, removing her visor and revealing her three eyes with one last attempt to get Steven to stop. "For me?" She pleaded, making Steven think for a minute. He then looked away before speaking. "I won't." He said, causing Garnet to finally give up. "I know..." She sighed as Steven ran off.

He ran past Imperial Topaz who was just returning to the temple from a long run around Beach city when she happened to notice him. "Uh, Hi Ste...ven?" She said to herself before she saw Peridot and Connie running after the young boy.

* * *

Over beside the Big Donut

Steven sat up against the wall of the building, bummed out at not being taken to the palanquin by the gems. He sighed in annoyance when he thought he heard footsteps. "Not now Lars." He said with annoyance. "Um...it's me Steven." Connie's voice spoke, causing him to face her in shock where he also saw Imperia and Peridot behind her.

"Sorry, I thought you were Lars for a second." He said apologetically, Connie said it was ok before she sat down beside him. "So...they won't take you then?" Peridot asked stupidly, knowing that she already knew about the argument. Steven shook his head either way before Imperia decided to ask something in confusion. "Sorry, what's happened, I'm a little lost here." The topaz asked before Steven turned in her direction.

"There's this place I saw in a dream, and it's real. But the Gems, apart from Bismuth, won't tell me anything about it. Somehow, it has something to do with Pink Diamond. I know you hardly know anything about it and you probably don't want to get involved with this, but I wanna know the truth. Do you mind helping out?" Steven said, asking Imperia for help. "Sure I don't mind." She replied with a smile. "I'm honoured to help out too. Let's see that for a second." Peridot said, wanting to help her friends. Steven then handed her the journal before she looked at the location of the palanquin.

After reading the map, Peridot then looked at Steven and the others. "So the gems can't take us..." She started rhetorically, before coming up with an idea. "Then I, Peridot 2F5L Cut-5XG, know someone who _can_ take us." She said before leading the gang somewhere.

Nobody noticed that Bloodstone had heard the whole conversation. " _ **Ha...so Rosie is actually planning to see the Palanquin then? Maybe it's time to make her job...a little...extreme!**_ " She said before turning into mist and floating away.

* * *

Later up in the skies

Steven, Connie, Peridot and Imperia were flying in a plane owned by none other than Andy, Steven's uncle. Peridot and Imperia were both hanging on to the bracing of the plane in fear of falling. "So my own nephew is goin' to Korea along with his girlfriend?" Andy said, joking a little.

"Thank you for the ride, Uncle Andy!" Steven called from the back. "Yeah, it was so nice of you to help us out." Connie added, trying to stay inside the plane unlike last time. "Ah, it's no problem. Like they say, family helps family... find mysterious ancient artefacts. By the way, does your Dad know you're here?" Andy said before asking Steven.

"Um...a little, anyways, we're here to do some very serious work. Not time for fun at all. And that includes you two." Steven said, calling out to the gang, causing Peri and Imperia to groan. "Come on Steven, wouldn't there be a little fun time? For me?" Connie asked with puppy eyes. Steven thought for a moment before deciding what to do.

Once they landed in Korea, Steven and Connie decided to have a day out for themselves with sight-seeing. In one of the cities of Korea, they got so excited about this, with all the locals around and a lot more.

The two kids decided to go to a sushi restaurant where they ate a lot of really tasty food and they loved it. Imperia and Peridot on the other hand were both looking around the place, keeping their eyes pealed for any signs of Bloodstone, and attracting a lot of good attention from the locals who gave them a lot of money.

The group then went to a sort of Dojo like place where they looked around in awe. Peridot on the other hand, thought it was absolutely stupid, earning her a slap on the head.

Steven and Connie then went on to buying clothes, DJ like, cool kid like, and other sorts of clothes. A while later, Connie wanted to go somewhere and tugged on Steven's shoulder, only to find that it was someone else before she gasped and apologised. Steven then appeared with a bunch of other people who looked just like him.

After going to this spiritual ground, Steven then noticed (1)a blue dog there and thought it was cute. He then tried patting it on the head, but the dog licked him on the face and laughed, slimming his cheek in the process. The dog then said something about _Ohana_ meaning _Family_ and that Steven should never leave then behind before it ran off somewhere.

* * *

Later at the mountains

Connie, Steven, Imperia and Peridot were all dropped off where Steven said he saw the pink palanquin. The bus then rushed off as Connie thanked the locals for the lift.

"Kamsahamnida..." She tried saying, but the bus went off quicker than she thought. "Well what's the hurry with those clods?" Peridot asked in annoyance. "This is it." Steven said as he walked up the path towards where he presumed the palanquin would be.

"Um, Steven, you sure this is the right place?" Connie asked nervously, worried about trespassing on private property. "Yeah, it's hard to explain, but I can feel it." Steven said as the gang continued to walk down the path. "Huh, this looks pretty nice around here. Anyways, does it feel familiar?" Imperia asked, hoping that they wouldn't run into too much trouble.

"Come on, I think my feet are too tired. Maybe we should go back and...Steven?" Connie started, but then noticed that the young boy was crying. "Oh my...I'm sorry Steven. I was just tired that's all, I wasn't..." Connie started, but was cut off by Steven who reassured her. "Don't worry Connie, I'm ok, let's just keep going and then we can stop." Steven said as he tried moving, but was stopped by Imperia.

"C'mon, why don't we take only a little break, in my opinion this mountain is messed up." Imperia stated sheepishly. "Imperia don't you realise, this can only mean that we're getting closer, let's go!" Steven said with confidence. Imperia and Connie looked at each other with concern, like Steven was pushin his luck to hard.

Before long, they came up to a gate which told them to _keep out_ in both Korean and English writing and another note was below it saying please in neat handwriting. "Check this out. To my Dad, I think he'd say _this feels familiar_." Steven said, thinking if his Dad was here. "Guys, can you help me jump the fence?" He asked, but Imperia had a different solution.

"Why jump it, when we can just go right through it?" Imperia stated, summoning her telepathic arrow and using it to cut a gateway in the fence. "Thank you Imperial Topaz." Peridot stated, just walking on through, annoying Imperia in the process. " _Imperia_ , just Imperia you little..." Imperia was then cut off by Steven who looked at something.

"Guys, look..." He said, looking at a blue palanquin which was damage before approaching it. "Woah...now this is what I call a beauty." Imperia stated with amazement. "This is it. But...it's different? I...In my dream, it was all broken down, and pink! This one's in perfect condition." Steven stated, looking at the journal once more, seeing the differences.

"Maybe it was redecorated?" Connie though before Peridot went up to it. "Wait...it's not pink or broken down and it's blue and functional? Oh my Stars, I know who's Palanquin this is!" The little green gem squeaked. "You do? Who's is it?" Steven asked before they heard another voice.

"Oh, Pink...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." The voice spoke, gaining the attention of the gang. Steven, Connie, Imperia and Peridot then saw a tall figure over by the real palanquin in the journal, she appeared to be accompanied by a light blue pearl and dark purple quartz soldier with dark purple sparkling hair and a dark purple gemstone on her left shoulder. "I should've done more. Yellow and Black say it'll all be over soon. I wonder what you would think. This is _your_ planet, after all. I still think it is, and so does Red." She continued as Steven cried for strange reasons.

"Er...Steven, who is that?" Connie whispered as Steven fell into a sitting position from behind the bush as he still cried tears. "My dreams...I was seeing through _her_ eyes. I've been crying _her_ tears." Steven whispered. "I knew it! That's Blue Diamond, a member of the Great Diamond Authority! I think she's mourning the loss of Pink Diamond." Peridot explained, stupidly aloud to the rest of the gang.

"What are you both doing over there?" Blue Diamond's voice spoke as her Pearl and Quartz solder went to scout the area. "I thought I heard someone." She spoke, looking around. "Hmm, I feel the aura of someone...someone I...well never mind." The Quartz soldier spoke.

"Let me handle this Steven, I'll be back in a second." Connie said, coming up with a plan. Steven tried to tell her not to do it, but she ignored what he said and did it anyway. "I don't think we're alone." The Quartz soldier spoke, at that moment, Connie appeared, having pushed her way through the bushes before looking up at the two gems who were startled at first, but then took a closer look at the young girl.

"Oh...hello there. I was just admiring the beautiful flowers out here and er...I didn't see you there. What brings you all the way out here?" Connie asked nervously. "Pearl, Druzy Quartz?" Blue Diamond called over to her two gems. "My diamond, I've found a native." The blue pearl said as she bowed in respect. "Apparently it's a young one too. Tis very rare." Drusy Quartz said while saluting her diamond.

"Oh yeah...I'm from around here...well not...here exactly Your Royal Highness." Connie said, getting a little scared before bowing. "Bring it here." Blue Diamond ordered as her pearl and quartz soldier walked towards her. "This way little one." Druzy Quartz ordered, gesturing for Connie to follow. "Connie, get back here!" Steven whispered in panic as Connie continued walking towards Blue Diamond.

As the three beings got close to Blue Diamond, Druzy and Blue Pearl bowed in respect after stopping at her side. They then backed away before Blue "How curious. I'm impressed by humanity's ability to survive in the wild. What a strange planet though. Where else would a being as fragile as a human live, while a being as powerful as a Diamond, perish?" Blue Diamond asked rhetorically but sadly.

"This is where it happened where she was...broken." Hearing this, Imperia, Peridot and Steven looked at each other, realizing that this place was where Pink Diamond was shattered. "Oh my stars..." Peridot said in shock, nearly giving their position away to Druzy Quartz. "Were...were you close to her?" Connie asked, feeling sorry for Blue Diamond having to grieve the loss of her sister...or daughter, from what she heard.

"Very..." Blue replied, causing Connie to sigh sadly. "I...I'm really sorry. I know how hard it can be to move on when you've lost someone." Connie said, causing Blue to turn in her direction, revealing her face to the young girl. Blue Diamond had a sky blue face, light blue eyes and her alice blue hair. She was also crying. "You do?" Blue asked, feeling that she wasn't alone with grieving.

Steven then cried through one eye because of Blue Diamond. "I lost my granny, she was a special person in my life too. When I was younger when she died, I miss her every day. I still kept waiting for her to visit so it'd be alright but...my mom told me that, she's never coming back. Sometimes, you need someone in order to help move on...which is why, I met someone at the beach one time and...became friends with him." Connie explained, revealing to Steven that her being on the beach that day, he helped her move on.

"I'm surprised that a human being is capable of understanding how I feel. It's a shame though." Blue said, feeling a little confused but interested at the same time before she turned back. "How come?" Connie asked before she got her answer. "There's a geo-weapon incubating in your planet that will destroy everything shortly. But you don't deserve that, do you?" Blue said, explaining that the cluster would destroy Earth...or rather, would never destroy it now that Steven and Peridot bubbled it.

Blue turned towards Connie, smiling. "Geo-weapon? _Did Steven forget to mention something to me?_ " Connie said before thinking about what Blue Diamond was talking about. "You know, I really shouldn't be here. Yellow and Black said not to come. But I'm glad I came back one last time. I can save one last piece of her legacy." Blue said, coming up close to Connie.

"Ok? Wait...how?" Connie asked, but never got an answer as Blue Diamond suddenly grabbed her tightly and kept her with her grasp. "Connie!" Steven said in panic as Blue Diamond extended her left arm, causing a gigantic blue hand ship...or better yet, an Arm Ship to rise out of the clouds. "Oh my Stars...that's...a big arm!" Imperia said in shock. "Even better than my old hand ship!" Peridot gasped in amazement.

At that moment, Blue Diamond's Palanquin's legs retract before it hovered over to it's owner who then walked towards it. "Wah! Put me down! Please, I'm begging you please, let me go!" Connie cried, trying to get free of Blue Diamond's grasp with no avail. "Calm down little one." Druzy Quartz said as the palanquin landed in front of Blue Diamond.

"Oh, no no no no no! Don't you dare bring me onto that thing!" Connie said as Blue Diamond ignored her and stepped onto it along with her Pearl and Drusy Quartz. (2)"No! Stop! STEVEN!" Connie screamed with a last attempt to get help, just before the doors on the palanquin closed. "CONNIE, CONNIE!" Steven screamed in panic, running out from the bushes and attempting to get onto the palanquin along with Peridot and Imperia.

Unfortunately, the palanquin ascended towards an opening within the armship's hand before it closed. "STOP!" Steven called out as he grabbed hold of Peridot and jumped off the ground, flying so high into the sky while Imperia using her arrow as a means to fly with Peridot Screaming all the way. "Steven, this isn't gonna work!" The little green gem screamed. "I've gotta get Connie back!" Steven said, enraged at the thought of his friend being taken away forever. But by then, the arm rotated in the direction of Space before launching itself into light-speed which disappeared in milliseconds.

The blast from the engines in turn also forced the trio to fall to the ground. "Connie...no..." Steven said in disbelief as he fell to the ground. Peridot screamed all the way as she tried to fly. But just in the nick of time, Garnet appeared and caught Steven and landed safely on the ground.

Bismuth then appeared before she caught Imperia and Peridot. She then shape-shifted her hand into a helicopter blade like tool which helped her land safely on the ground. "Steven...I'm s...I'm sorry!" Garnet said apologetically. "Garnet, Bismuth..." Steven started, but was cut off by the fusion all together.

"I saw you come here, I saw Blue Diamond on Earth, I saw her see me and find all of us, even the rest of the crystal gems, I couldn't be here with you!" Garnet said, explaining why she wouldn't bring Steven. "She also told me that Druzy Quartz would be here! If she found out, she would have ratted us out to homeworld!" Bismuth said after being told that the gem called Druzy Quartz was with Blue Diamond.

"She took Connie! It's all my fault! I should've listened to you..." Steven started, but cut off by Bismuth. "You couldn't have known, I know you're not a Sapphire, but you couldn't have known what the outcome was gonna be." Bismuth said, stroking Steven's hair.

"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! Garnet, what are we gonna do?!" Imperia asked with fear. "We're going to space. We're going to get her back." Garnet said, determined as always to do the right thing. "Yeah, plus...I've been _dyin_ _'_ to give those homeworld uppercrusts some payback." Bismuth said, glaring into the distance.

* * *

Back at the house.

Bismuth and Garnet warped back to the house with Imperia and Peridot. "This can't be happening." Steven said to himself quietly. "Steven! You're back." Pearl said, getting off the floor as Amethyst appeared around the corner. "Hey, Steve-O." She said along with Citrine who waved. "Garnet said you'd stormed off, but I didn't think she meant like that!" Lapis said as she came from behind the kitchen counter.

"Look...we're so sorry about earlier and..." Pearl started but cut off with Steven's quick voice. "Forget that for now! We have to catch up with her!" Steven said in a panic. "What?!" Pearl, Lapis and Jade suddenly said in unison. "Who?" Amethyst asked. "Let me guez, le lit-tell green men?" Citrine asked jokingly.

"Blue Diamond." Garnet revealed, causing an outburst. "Blue Diamond?! O...o...on Earth?!" Pearl freaked out, causing Lapis to worry too. "Oh no! Not her! Why now?!" Lapis panicked. "Holy Smokes! They're all coming out of the woodwork." Amethyst joked despite that everyone wasn't laughing. "Ai know right?" Citrine replied.

"Amethyst, Citrine, turn into a chair, I...I need to sit down." Pearl said in overreaction. "What happened up there?" Lapis asked with shock. "She took Connie! She alien-abducted her and it's all my fault!" Steven said in a panic. "Shé took Connie?!" Citrine said in fear. "Our Connie?!" Pearl said in confusion. "Ugh, what other Connie is there?! The one you train with swords, the one who Steven first met on the beach and the one who may, or may not, have a crush on him!" Amethyst stated, causing Steven to blush slightly.

"Forget that for now! How are we gonna get Connie back?!" Lapis said in a panic. "No, why did she even want Connie for?! To eat her?! To put her back in a zoo?!" Steven cried in fear. "Wait...that might be it." Pearl said with realisation. "She's gonna eat her?!" Steven said, finally flipping out at hearing this.

"What? No. But there was a...No. No, it couldn't possibly still exist. Not since we..." Pearl started, suddenly making Garnet realise. "That's right! Pink Diamond's insidious human zoo." She said, confusing Steven. "During her reign on Earth, Pink Diamond stole humans from their families as trophies of her conquest." Garnet explained, horrifying the gems.

"You gotta be kidding." Amethyst said in disbelief. "Ai don't think zey are sis." Citrine spoke with many concerns on her mind. "She's right. It was a very serious matter. When I still served P...Homeworld, I saw it myself. A private menagerie deep in space. Humans in captivity. We were never able to rescue them. Plus, we had no way to get to them after the war. But, that was over 5000 years ago." Pearl explained, nearly mentioning someone she used to serve.

"I recall passing a similar structure when me, Lapis and Jasper first started our attack on you guys, but...I'm not sure if it's real or not." Peridot stated, thinking she could have been wrong. "You really think Connie's gonna be there?" Imperia asked nervously.

Pearl was about to answer, but couldn't think of what to say. "Steven, did you say Blue Diamond took Connie alive?" Bismuth asked, just to make sure she was right. "Yes! Yes! She liked her! And...she mentioned something about her grandma dying and something to do with me." Steven asnwered hastily. "I honestly can't think of anywhere else she'd put her if she wanted to keep her, that is if the zoo is still here." Pearl said, feeling nervous.

"Then that place is our only chance! But...how are we going to get there?" Steven asked before looking at Lapis. "Uh...I'd help you, but I can only carry so many at a time, it could take years with all the weight on my shoulders." Lapis replied. "Anyone got any better ideas then? How can we get to the zoo?" Bismuth asked before getting her answer.

"With the Roaming Eye." Garnet responded, leaving everyone speechless. "The Ruby ship?" Amethyst asked, remembering the ship they stole from the squad in order to find Steven. "That's right. We're going into space, and we're not coming back without Connie." Garnet said firmly with confidence.

"Coul plan. Ai fair un fairgot we steehl 'ad ze ship though." Citrine said, gaining a few stares from the gems. "But...we'd need a good pilot to fly that thing." Lapis stated, causing everyone but Steven to groan. When Steven smiled, he remembered something important he did.

"Well lucky for us, I know just the pilot to help us fly that ship." Steven said as he pointed towards his uncorrupted friend Jade who walked in through the door. When she looked up at the gems, she got confused for a second. "Uh...what did I miss?" She asked in confusion.

* * *

At the barn

Peridot worked out all the settings within the Roaming Eye before she stepped out of the ship and spoke to herself, all the while, Jade and her two crew members were settling into their launch positions.

"Let's see. Rear pulsar trackers are tracking pulsars. The atmosphere shields seem functional, but we're not going to need that in space, obviously." She said like a smart Alec, annoying the others in the process.

"Well, make it is safe for Steven." Garnet said. "And step on it, otherwise we'll never be able to get to Connie in time!" Imperia said with haste. "Oh he'll be fine. But, I think we should change the system preferences the Rubies set. How do you feel about green lights instead of red ones?" Peridot asked but harshly cut off by Steven.

"There's no time for that! If it works, then let's just do it already!" He said in a panic before walking up to the barn while on the phone to his Dad. "Sorry Dad, but we can't wait around. Connie's in trouble and we need to go into space to get her back...what?! No don't tell her parents! Wait there's no time, we're going now. Just, try and tell them some made up story if they notice, ok? Ok, see you then." He said before hanging up on Greg.

"Right, so if I enter the coordinates, it'll take us right to the zoo?" Jade asked, confirming the info that Peridot gave her. "It's a little more complicated than that. These aren't your Era 1 light kites. We're gonna be pretty much bending reality if we turn on the gravity engine. Hmm, come to think of it, I should really change the Ruby preferences on that too." Peridot said, getting on board the ship to change the settings but cut off by a hasty Steven.

"So what, so it's red! Come on! Come on! We gotta go! We've gotta get Connie! I'm worried about her!" He said getting onto the ship. "Ok, Rubies aside, can the Roaming Eye fly?" Pearl asked. "Short answer, yes." Peridot answered right before Amethyst and her sister Citrine got onto the ship as Imperia, Jade and her crew followed. "Alright you rocks, let's go." Bismuth said as she went inside with Peridot and Lapis.

The other crystal gems were left standing there in confusion. "Girls, please stay here. You'll all need to protect Beach City if something happens while we're gone." Garnet said as they nodded their heads in agreement. "But...let me come with you Mother! I want to fight alongside..." Jewel started, but cut off by her mother. "Jewel please...Earth needs you more than you need us. So I'm counting on you, lead them well...for me?" She said as Jewel wince for a moment.

But thinking about protecting Earth for her mother, Jewel then nodded in agreement before her mother kissed her on her forehead. "We'll be back before you know it." Pearl said as she and Garnet then got into the Roaming Eye. "Oh, and please don't touch the breaking point until we come back ok?" Bismuth called out as a last request.

The ship then closed it's door and then launched off the ground and into space, disintegrating a cloud in the process and overall getting through the atmosphere. Inside the ship, Jade and her crew were in their piloting positions, steering the ship away from danger if they tried.

"Hang tight Connie. We're on the way. I hope you got to see some of this. There's enough out here for a whole album about the cosmos. Heheh, I'm starting to sound like Dad." Steven said, amazed at Space as he saw Earth fading into the distance. "Oh my Stars, I can't believe it. The nine of us all together again!" Peridot stated in excitement.

"I know right? It's really be ages since we were together like this...after fighting against Black Nephrite and her squad." Jade stated, remembering the good old days when they fought together in...oh wait that was a while ago. "Speaking of which, why couldn't we bring the rest of the crystal gems with us?" Steven asked, remembering that he saw Jewel's sad face before the gang left. "The less there are of us, the less attention we'll attract." Bismuth stated along with Pearl who nodded in agreement.

"Eet eez a shamé. Ai wouldn've liked to 'avé zum bakup wiv us." Citrine said sadly, but comforted by her sister's hug. "Hey, Jewel's a born leader, she'll be ok." Pearl said with reassurance, getting a smile from the yellow quartz. "Also...how did you know Drusy Quartz Bismuth?" Peridot asked as she and Lapis looked at the rainbow gem.

"You kidding me? Druzy, she was a member of the Crystal Gems known as the Druze master. We all knew her so well, even Crazy Lace, Biggs, Snowflake, Tiger's Eye, Beryl, Serpentine and even little Larimar. For a while things were great...but then she turned her back on us...we never knew why." Bismuth explained, revealing that the gem with Blue Diamond was a crystal gem.

Steven wanted to ask why she was a Crystal Gem but suddenly, the Roaming eye was jolting, shaking almost everyone off their feet as this happened. "Oh, Oh! Space turbulence!" Pearl said in fear as everyone else saw the incoming asteroid filed ahead of them, hitting the ship in the process. Knowing this was her moment, Jade charged over to the pilot seat and chucked Pearl out before activating the manual piloting systems.

With that in her control, Jade steered the ship around the asteroids and with the help of her crew, she blasted a few with a powerful laser which cleared a path. "Girls, incoming asteroids port and starboard sides, blast any incoming!" Jade ordered her crew. "Yes, Captain!" They responded as they shot any incoming asteroids. "Sweet moves Jade." Garnet complemented to the Captain. "Thanks, anyways, hold on! This is gonna get bumpy!" Jade replied as she navigated around the asteroids until she found a way to exit the field all together.

"Woo, and that's how you get out of an asteroid field, Era 1 Nephrite Style." Jade then said with pride, sticking her two feet above the captain's console. "Nice, you must have been a really must have been a cool pilot back then." Imperia said with such an amazed jealousy. "I was as a matter of fact. (3)Nephrite Facet-413 Cabochon-12 is my full name. But I still prefer Nephrite Jade...or Jade...or maybe even Nephie if you like." Jade said, revealing her full homeworld name. Everyone approved of the new name Nephie before Steven went up to her.

"Alright. Now that we got out of the field, how much further till we get to..." Steven started, but cut off when something hit the windscreen of the Roaming Eye, causing everyone to look at it to see Doc, the leader of the Ruby Squad flat out on there before she flew off it. Next it was Leggy and Army who bounced off the windscreen.

"Sorry Rubies." Steven said awkwardly. "We should really do something about them." Garnet said, figuring that they couldn't leave them out in space like that. "We can pick them up on the way back. Connie comes first." Steven said, fixated on saving Connie first before another figure, a big pair of figures hit the windscreen and frightened everyone in the process.

The figures were revealed to be Jasper and Black Nephrite. "Rose! I'm gonna get you! I'll avenge my diamooooooond!" Jasper growled before she slid off the windscreen. "I'm gonna break down this windscreen you fools, and then I'll let my diamond, Black Diamond, decide your fate!" Black Nephrite said before she slipped off screaming too. "After what we went through with them last time? I don't fancy my chances with them again." Imperia said, shivering at the idea of letting those gems back on their ship. "Well...we'll figure out something later, anyways, how much longer till we get there Pearl?" Steven asked as Pearl kicked Jade off the pilot seat again and looked at the screen.

"Well, at our current speed, we should be reaching the human zoo in approximately seventy human years! Just in time for Connie's 83rd anniversary of being alive." Pearl said stupidly, forgetting something important. "Pearl, Connie's not gonna be healthy enough to live that long, in fact, I'm not healthy enough to live that long!" Steven said in horror. "Ehh, do you think she'll be able to make it to 82?" Pearl asked in confusion, annoying Jade in the process.

"Pearl, that's not helping!" Bismuth said in anger. "Right, that's it it's my turn on the monitor again Pearl!" Jade said, trying to force Pearl off the seat but having trouble. "No, I'm checking the monitor! Didn't you..." Pearl protested, but ended up having themselves dragged out of the seat all together.

"Neither of you are helping at this point, now how do we rescue Connie without her growing older?" Bismuth asked, panting in the process. "Before we left, Peridot did explain the gravity engine." Garnet stated, causing them to remember. "Oh yeah, she said it bends reality." Amethyst said in amazement. "Indeed I did mention it Garnet. The gravity engine is what'll get us to the zoo in less than an hour, it's more handier than you can imagine." The green gem explained.

"Oh don't listen to her, she's just exaggerating. It probably just alters the definition for speed by manipulating space-time, but what effect would that have on organic matter? It might flatten Steven's body into a pancake of skin and bones." Pearl said in fear and also insulting Peridot in the process. "Hey, don't talk that about Peri!" Lapis growled, holding Peridot in her arms.

"Uw, bones are gross." Citrine said in disgust. "Agreed Sis." Amethyst added. "You have bones in your bedroom." Garnet stated, sounding a bit morbid. "That's different, Those are my bones." Amethyst stated, recalling a few bones in her room. "We're sitting around wasting time when Connie is probably waiting for her rescue and this is what we're discussing right now?" Bismuth said in annoyance.

"She's right, if being a pancake means saving my friend, then bring on the syrup!" Steven said as he pulled the lever for the gravity engine. "Wait, Steven don't...!" Peridot tried warning the young boy, but it was too late upon him activating it and creating a gravitational singularity point which pulled the Roaming Eye into warping through space-time. This in turn also caused Steven to feel funny and overall caused him to black out.

* * *

Later

"Steven..." That strange (4)familiar voice spoke again, this time it was able to wake Steven up. "Steven!" Garnet's voice said as the young boy woke up, seeing that he was unaffected by the gravity engine. "Steven, are you ok?" Pearl asked in concern. "I'm fine. I...I think I just passed out for a second. Wait...are you guys ok?" Steven asked, seeing the rest of the gems.

However, they weren't...exactly the same, when the gravity engine was activated, it managed to Flatten Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Jade, her crew, Citrine and Imperia near enough to Steven's height. Being this way had caused Amethyst and Citrine to laugh. "You tell me." Garnet said with her cool expression as she adjusted her visor.

"Uhh, no we're not ok!" Pearl said hysterically, getting a few laughs from Peridot for insulting her before. "Ha, you look ridiculous!" She mocked until Bismuth pointed out that she and Lapis were the same height as everyone else but Steven. "Uhh, why do you guys look like that." Steven asked, confused at the strange shapes that the gems were in.

"The gravity warp seems to be affecting our bodies." Garnet stated. "I tried to warn you Steven, but no. You just went on with activating the engine...but on the plus side, at least Pearl's size has decreased." Peridot said, annoyed but glad Steven activated the engine. "Please tell me this lasts forever." Amethyst chuckled, giving Lapis the chills in the process. "Please tell me it doesn't." She said in fear.

"Our bodies are made of light, and usually, they form a mass dependent on the air pressure and the level of gravity in the environment, but we're in a situation where the normal laws of physics don't apply."

"Since our forms are made of light, they take the form of a suitable mass from the air pressure and gravity which is most suitable for them, but since the gravity engine is active, it's impossible for that to happen."

After speaking in unison, Pearl and Peridot glared at each other. "Oh my goodness, what if it's permanent? I wouldn't like to think about how that happened." Jade said along with her crew who nodded in agreement. "Who carés? Zis eez funny." Citrine laughed along with Amethyst. "In what way is this funny?" Pearl asked in anger. "Well...I recall this film about there being seven short people in some kind of fantasy film(5). If you think about it, it is kinda funny." Bismuth stated before giggling a little.

"So...you guys aren't doing this on purpose?" Steven asked as he walked up to the gems. "No...Honestly, I think it's creepy like this." Imperia said, agreeing with what Lapis said earlier. "Well, can't you shapeshift back, or would Fusing even help?" Steven suggested.

"Hold on." Amethyst said before she transformed into her alter ego: Purple Puma...only she was a lot smaller in the situation. "Huh, check it out. Puma cub." She said. "Alright girls, let's do this." Jade said as she and her crew fused into a tall, but quite smaller version of Rainbow Nephrite. "Aw, even this doesn't help." Rainbow said in sadness.

"The ship seems to be putting on some kind of energy keeping us in this shape." Garnet stated, causing Peridot to roll her eyes. But before she could explain, Steven interrupted her. "Oh, I know the problem." He said as he walked over the control panel. "You do?" Pearl, Lapis and Imperia asked in hope as Amethyst shapeshifted back and Rainbow unfused. "Peridot said the ship was calibrated for Rubies." Steven said, pointing to the ruby symbols on the ship's monitor.

"It's true, the settings are obviously making us all Ruby-sized." Peridot explained further, allowing Steven to Picture a Ruby lined up with the gems. "Ugh, why don't you ever tell us anything? This is why we don't listen to you." Pearl said in annoyance. "Well I tell Lazuli everything, but not you, given that you clearly know nothing about homeworld nowadays." Peridot stated. "Anyways, let's change the settings." Steven said as he changed the calibration to a Quartz soldier type.

The gems along with Peridot then became huge bulky soldiers, much to their dislike. "Ok... To big fair mé!" Citrine said with a fright. "No, not it." Steven said before switching to another gem size for the gems. When they turned to that shape, Peridot was overjoyed, saying it was the size of an Era 1 Peridot, much to everyone else's annoyance. "Nope, not it either." Steven said before switching the size again.

The next size was a skinny size, or rather, a Pearl's size. "Oh goodness, I'm back to normal." Pearl said in excitement. "Yippie for you." Lapis groaned. "I feel pathetic like this." Bismuth stated, insulting Pearl...only a little. "Ok, how about this one?" Steven thought as he switched the settings once again.

The next size was some sort of small gem-size which had suddenly caused the gems to become really tiny, making them unable to move because of the weight of their gemstones, Like Lapis being on her back or even Citrine weighed down. "If you mention this to the girls, I'm gonna hit you so hard you'll end up like a chipped Peridot!" Bismuth growled, annoyed to be faced downwards because of her gemstone.

"Nope, oh, this should do the trick." Steven said as he switched the size up to a Diamond shape, making the gems gigantic and almost filling up the ship. "Sorry." Steven called up apologetically. "Don't be, if we keep this size, then we can take on the Diamonds!" Bismuth said, excited about keeping her current form. "This isn't going to work for us Bismuth." Garnet said, soon enough Bismuth agreed with her. "Try adjusting it manually." Pearl said while Amethyst laughed.

"And try and hurry Steven, I think I'm freaking out." Lapis said, on the verge of hyperventilating as Steven opened up the manual configuration menu. "Woah! This...is pretty complicated...Peridot, a little help here?" Steven said, confused about the settings.

"Alright, just try everything until you find the right switch." Peridot said...making a bad move. "Ok...um, maybe this one?" Steven said, pressing a few buttons, making the gems' necks unstable. "Not that one." Jade said awkwardly. "Ok, so...that does that. Uhh, maybe this one." Steven said in a panic as he somehow made everyone's arms and legs grow longer.

"Is anyone slightly uncomfortable about this?" Imperia asked, not feeling good about the situation. "Agh, why is this so complicated?!" Steven groaned in annoyance as he started pressing random buttons. This in turn, managed to turn the gems back into their normal states...but only briefly.

The gems were relieved for a moment, but it ended when the following happened: Garnet was flattened into a pancake with legs and arms, Pearl bloated up into a ball shape before Garnet pushed her. Amethyst then turned into some kind of long noodle and Citrine became some form of cone which spun on it's tip. "Hey Steven! This is getting a little weird, even for me and Citrine." Amethyst said as she tried stopping Citrine.

"I agree Steven, it's seriously not normal for any gem to...be...messing around with the settings like you are!" Peridot said as she turned into a square. Lapis melted into a puddle of herself, Jade became a long pole and Imeria then turned into a brick wall. "Steven...please fix this!" Lapis screamed in a panic. "She's right, try finding something to get our normal bodies back!" Bismuth said, having turned into a big anvil.

Steven then continued pressing random to try and fix the gems until a red x appeared on the screen. "I think I found the off-switch!" Steven called out to the gang before Peridot suddenly realised what he meant. "Off-swit...Oh my stars! Steven don't press that!" She yelled in panic, but it was too late.

Steven pressed the X, dimming the lights in the process and sticking Steven to the seat as he yelped in panic. "Oh dair, zis cannot be goooo..." Citrine yelped before she and the other gems' forms disappeared and leaving their gemstones behind as they hit the door of the Roaming Eye. "Guys! Wha...what did I do?!" Steven asked himself in panic as the ship went so fast, it created a visual wormhole within the fabric of space itself an even managed to overwhelm Steven in the process.

"Amethyst?! Garnet?! Bismuth?! Jade?! Lapis?! Peridot?! Pearl?! Guys?! Where are you?!" Steven asked as he looked back towards the gemstones at the door of the ship. "What happened? Are you cracked?! Amethyst is usually back by now!" He continued, figuring something was wrong.

The screen then drew Steven's attention when he saw that the ship was nearing it's destination at a really bad speed. "Oh no. That's the zoo. Uhh, we're gonna smash into it if we don't...slow...down!" He said as struggled to touch the screen, which he presumed would stop the ship. "Gah! Come on, Steven. You can do it! I...it's okay! The Gems are gonna be fine!" Steven groaned as he tried to keep himself from crying as he continued to try and Stop the ship. "They gotta be fine! C...Connie's gonna be fine, too! Gah! Yeah, I...it doesn't seem like it right now, but later, we're gonna laugh if I just stop the ship!" He said while making his attempts to stop the ship count as best as he could, but he failed.

Breathing heavily, Steven feared the worst had come to it. "It...it isn't going to stop. There's no fixing this. It's all my fault! I rushed us! I pushed us into making stupid mistakes!" He cried, knowing that he probably...wasn't going to survive what happend next. "It didn't have to be this way. I didn't have to ignore Garnet. I didn't have to go to Korea. Connie, I didn't have to get you taken away forever by Blue Diamond. I...I wasn't trying to be selfish. I just wanted to know what was going on for myself for once! But now, I lost everyone!" He cried, breaking down in tears.

But then...coming to his senses and collecting determination from his moment of weakness, there was something he didn't try yet, and when it came to mind, Steven then wiped his tears with a determined look upon his face. "No! This isn't the end! You can still do this Steven! Connie's counting on you. There's still stuff I wanna do with her, besides...I've still got one trick up my sleeve." Steven said to himself as he gathered all his determination, along with putting his feet on the seat to help him more, and made one last push to hit the screen.

Then with all the power he could musture, he reached for the control panel once again and this time, he managed to press it, dropping the ship out of hyperspace right before Steven hit his head off the panel, not giving him much pain. Stopping the ship also caused the gems to phase through the wall and they also calmed down with their relief. "Woah, that was totally freaky. And dangerous if I do say so." Bismuth panted, having phased through the wall. "AAAH! CAPTAIN, I THINK MY GEM'S BACKWARDS!" One of Jade's crew said in a panic. "Can't you easily shapeshift it back into place?" Peridot asked in annoyance.

After panting and looking behind, Steven saw everyone in perfect condition. "Guys, you're all back! Where'd you go?! I was so worried!" He said as he ran up to the gems and hugged them all. "We were still here, even though...well nevermind." Peridot said sheepishly.

"I think in your attempt to fix our bodies, I think...you may have accidentally shut off the calibration altogether. Our light-composed forms couldn't keep up with the ship moving faster than the speed of light, none of use could anyways." Pearl explained along with Peridot who nodded in agreement.

"So, you guys were just lagging behind the ship this whole time?" Steven asked, imagining what he presumed they looked like, being dragged behind. "That's right, and that's why I usually prefer Era 1 gemtech better." Bismuth stated sheepishly. "Yeah, I agree. But don't worry about it too much, Amethyst and Citrine seemed to like it." Garnet said with reassurance.

"I never thought I could stretch so far! Hah! I think I kind of phased through a planet." Amethyst laughed before Citrine spoke. "Speak fair yurself. Ai phaséd through multiple moons." Citrine said, before the two sisters laughed. They then noticed Steven's tears before reaslising he was worried sick, even Lapis noticed how upset he was. "Steven...come on, didn't you hear Garnet? Everyone's ok, sure I freaked out, but we're ok." Speaking this, Lapis then hugged the young lad to keep him calm.

"I...I was pushing so had, I...I wanted to get Connie back so badly, I...I almost wrecked the mission...and the ship. Everything is my fault." He admitted, although nothing was on him. "Hey, just so you know, you didn't kidnap Connie. Blue Diamond did." Bismuth said, stroking Steven's hair.

"She's right Steven, besides, I think these Roaming Eye controls are too sensetive. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll attend to fixing them!" Peridot said before she ran over to the controls and worked away at them until she managed to fix them all together, even if it meant breaking off a few parts in the process.

Jade figured that Black Nephrite and her squad wouldn't be happy about what Peridot was doing to the ship, but since she wasn't here...she then caught something in the corner of her eye gem. "Uh...you guys? Do you see that?" She asked, pointing towards the windscreen before everyone else did so. From a distance, they all saw a gigantic pink crystal in the shape of a dagger surrounded by a ring. "Ah...we made it. The stunt you pulled, got us here...and apparently less than seventy human years." Peridot said in amazement.

"Hang on Connie...I'm coming." Steven said as the ship came in closer.

* * *

A few moments later

The Roaming eye was on approach to the Human Zoo with a Red Eye watching them. "The Human Zoo...I can't believe it still exist." Pearl said in disbelief. "I know right? Apparently from the rumors I heard, the diamonds have been keeping this place in one piece since Pink...well nevermind." Peridot stated before nearly mentioning Pink Diamond's name.

"Connie's gotta be here. We just have to find her and bust her out." Steven said as the entrance to the zoo opened up within the ring in the shape of a diamond archway before closing again. The gang then noticed two gems next to an entrance leading further into the zoo itself.

"This is it, I've got every structure of this place, so we just have to follow my maps and...oh my stars..." She started, but cut off when she saw the two gems. "Those Gems..." Amethyst started, noticing two quartz soldiers with their gemstones on their shoulders. "Aré zey...?" Citrine started too, but she and her sister got their answers soon enough.

"Amethyst guards. Why am I not surprised? Pink Diamond's old quartz soldiers...and under the authority of Blue Diamond from the looks of it." Bismuth said, seeing the blue outfits they had on them. "Ugh, of course. Like we could just waltz up as an ownerless Pearl, a weaponsmith Bismuth, a tiny Peridot, a Skinny Imperial Topaz, a fusion and...and you." Pearl said, realising the plan could be busted if the Amethysts saw the gems.

"I agree, any move we make will end in disaster." Peridot stated, showing the possibilities. "It's ok, we just need disguises. I'll be _Esteban Universidad_." Steven suggested, but not thinking outside the box properly. "Steven, it doesn't matter what your name is. We're all going to stand out." Pearl said in fear. "I agree, if we reveal ourselves to these gems, they'll catch us like they did me." Lapis explained, shivering at the thought.

However, the gems turned to Garnet who unfused into her two components: Ruby and Sapphire. "We won't stand out if we play the roles we were made for." Sapphire said, calming the gang down in the process. "Ruby! Sapphire!" Steven said in amazement before Bismuth appeared behind them.

"There's my favorite couple." Bismuth said as she picked the two gems up and laughed. "Hello Bismuth." Sapphire chuckled. "Woah...your friend's a fusion? An Off-Color fusion? Wow, either I'm stupid, or I must have missed something." Imperia stated upon realising Garnet was a fusion.

"Ok, everybody. Hear Sapphire out." Ruby said before Sapphire began to explain her plan to the gang. "Today, I'm a Sapphire traveling with my Ruby guard, my personal Pearl and my Nephrite Captain. Esteban, I've brought you as an offering to the zoo. If the plan goes well, we'll find the zoo's entrance and get Connie, if not, then we'll need to allow you to get into the zoo to find her before we get you out again." Sapphire explained to everyone.

Everyone agreed to this plan. "Pobrecito Esteban!" Steven said in spanish. "Uhh, what about us?" Amethyst asked. "What are ur rules?" Citrine added. "You're both accompaning me as extra muscle." Sapphire explained. "Muscle like them?" Amethyst asked, pointing to the Amethyst guards. "Exactly." Sapphire responded. "Ugh, just whén ai thought ai didn't 'ave to become 'uge again." Citrine groaned in annoyance.

"She's right, plus we've never seen any other Amethysts or Citrines before. What do we do? What if either of us do or say something wrong?" Amethyst asked in fear. "Just look the part. You're both new and we're all rusty, but we just have to sell this out long enough to find Connie." Sapphire explained reassuringly.

"So...what's our roles gonna be?" Bismuth asked, figuring it was her turn to get the role. "Nothing to bad I presume?" Lapis asked, holding onto Peridot in the process. "You won't have any. If I remember correctly, Imperia was able to turn invisible, right? Well you can use that to your advanatage to sneak past the guards to help us...and the rest of you stay here, keep the engine running until we come back." Sapphire explained, making Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth and Imperia sigh in relief.

"Is this really going to work?" Pearl asked concern, figuring she knew the answer already. "No." Sapphire responded, causing everyone to gasp in horror. "Just stick together. Play it straight. Let's change the future." Sapphire reassured everyone with an uneasy smile. "This can only end well." Peridot sarcastically said.

* * *

Outside the Roaming Eye

Sapphire was the first to exit the ship before Pearl and Jade followed along with Ruby who pretened to have Steven captive. "You'll never cage me, you rockheads!" He pretended to say, nearly giving up their cover as Amethyst and Citrine followed.

"Try not to be too convinceng Steven." Citrine whispered as she walked alongside the gang as an invisible Imperia came out of the ship with Peridot, Bismuth and Lapis holding onto them. "Oh my stars look!" Peridot whispered in excitement, pointing to another ship as she gained Bismuth's attention.

"That is a genuine Foot Ship, one of the fastest models yet. I've always wanted to Pilot one of those things! Automatic Calibration detectors, multi cargo holding areas, oh my stars, we've got to take that ship." Peridot explained with excitement. "Don't bite off more than you can chew Peri, besides, we have to find Connie." Imperia harshly whispered, causing Peridot to groan in annoyance.

After getting up the stairs, the gang (except for Bismuth, Imperia, Lapis and Peridot) went up to the Amethyst guards. They looked at each other as the gems approached them with Amethyst and Citrine to keep shapeshifted forms up.

"State your purpose." The first guard said harshly, sounding just like Jasper when the gems fought her. "I'm here to make a delivery to the human zoo." Sapphire said as a homeworld Sapphire. "Bad news. The human zoo shut down, which means we'll just have to throw you in space." The guard spoke again, rearing up to Steven's face as he whimpered in fear.

"Heh, look. He believed me." The Amethyst Guard said to the other guard before they both laughed in unison. At that moment however, another gem entered the room, one that was different to the gems in the zoo. The gem had white high-heeled jackboots which went up to her thighs, royal dark blue pants, a navy blue top with a high collar, a blue shawl with the diamond insignia patter on it. Her gemstone was an inverted kite-shaped facet in the shape of a teardrop located on the back of her head which shimmered.

The gem's face was then revealed to have blue skin, plump lips, violet eyes and a pale lavender hair styled into two white buns which were white, violet and lavender. Apparently, the gem wasn't happy, and it was a face...that Lapis had encountered before when she gasped in horror.

"What are you doing?" She asked with annoyance. "Nothing Holly Blue Agate." They both said in panic before saluting the gem called Holly Blue Agate. "No...not her!" Lapis whispered as she hyperventilated in fear. "Lapis, what's wrong?" Bismuth asked, trying to calm the blue gem down. "I don't wanna talk about it..." She muttered in fear before Holly Blue Agate looked in her direction.

Upon seeing Sapphire, she gasped in horror before glaring at the two Amethysts and kicking them in the legs for misbehaving. "Why didn't you tell me there was a Sapphire here? What have you miscreants been saying to them?!" Holly Blue asked in anger. "Nothing, Holly." The second guard said nervously.

Holly Blue Agate then turned back to Sapphire with a smile. "You'll have to forgive them. They're from Earth. Apologise!" She said, laughing at the first part and glaring at them for the second part and whispering angrily at the guards for the third part.

Both guards then turned towards Sapphire nervously before saluting her. "Forgive us!" They both said hastily, earning a punch which told them to say it correctly. "Forgive us, your Clarity!" They said properly in annoyance. "No use dwelling on the past. Anyway, I've brought a new human for the collection." Sapphrire said, amazing the Agate.

"How unprecedented! Nothing for a millennia, and then two humans back to back! Well, it's probably for the best that first one was...strangely too young in my opinion." Holly Blue said, mentioning that Connie was here. "Connie! That's her!" Steven blurted out in shock, causing Ruby to tell him to keep quiet.

The gang was mortified at that, especially Lapis. "Ohh, their incessant barking. What is it saying?" Holly Blue said as she laughed, relieving the gang. "The other one was loud too, high pitched if I do say so myself, and all that feistiness within her too, I'm sure Blue Diamond would want to thank you personally, but you just missed her." Holly continued, which proved to be even more good news for the gang. "Thank goodness for that." Lapis whispered in relief before Peridot held her hand in reassurance.

Amethyst, take this human to the..." Holly started but cut off by Sapphire's hesitation. "Wait! The thing is...we've travelled so far, and it would be a shame to leave so quickly. Perhaps you'd grant us a tour of the facility?" She asked as a means of finding Connie. "I would be honored! Right this way, your Grand Clarity." Holly said with excitement as she guided her and the others through the corridor.

"Amethysts and Citrines are to stay and guard the door." Holly Blue stated as she prevented Amethyst and Citrine from following the gang. "Uhh, but..." Amethyst stuttered. "Wouldn't eet bé maire impairtént fair us to..." Citrine started but was cut off by Holly Blue Agate's unamused expression. "The door." She said as she lead the group through the corridor with Ruby, Jade and Steven looking back in concern.

The two sisters were worried about being discovered by the Amethyst guards who were looking right at them. "Zis could be a problaim seestair." Citrine whispered to Amethyst. "Yeah, no kidding." Amethyst replied back.

* * *

Along the corridor.

The gang and Holly Blue Agate were walking through the corridor, worried about being in their roles after a long time. "Does your Pearl always walk next to you?" Holly Blue asked in a hint of disgust. "Heh, I'll just be right here." Pearl said as moved back beside Jade, Ruby and Steven. "Hmm, chatty." Holly added, causing Pearl to bush I embarrassment.

"Anyways, this facility originally belonged to Pink Diamond herself and houses and staffs the...otherwise useless Quartz that she produced and what was her colony. But Blue Diamond and her trusted Agate, _that's me_ , have been maintaining this place since the dawn of Era 2." Holly explained, telling why the zoo was still active.

At that moment, they stopped at a door where awkwardly...nothing happened for a few seconds. "Is she going to do it or should I say something?" Holly asked as she looked at Pearl, expecting her to open the door for everyone. "Oh! Pearl, the door." Sapphire said hesitantly, getting Pearl's attention. "Hmm? Oh, right, right! I got it!" She chuckled nervously as she went to open the door.

Seeing Pearl being treated that way angered Bismuth, but luckily Lapis managed to calm her down before she could attack Holly. "You are so patient with her. How do you do it?" Holly asked with an impressed attitude. "As a Sapphire, I know it will happen eventually." Sapphire stated...which was a bit obvious. Pearl then pressed random buttons on the panels which eventually opened the door. "That will be all." Holly Blue Agate said as she walked past Pearl who secretly glared at her.

"Sorry." Sapphire apologised as she followed the Agate. "Hang in there." Steven said with reassurance as Ruby lead him towards Sapphire. "Don't give up, we can do this." Jade whispered with confidence. "Pearl, when this is over, can I whack Holly Blue Agate?" Bismuth asked, but never got an answer. "Do keep up Pearl." Holly said while Pearl closed the door and groaned in disgust.

Holly Blue then pressed a button, which revealed a window showing the outside of the zoo's structure. "The bottom half of this structure is devoted entirely to specimen containment. Apparently, humans don't take well to captivity, but once you understand their needs, they're easy to control." Holly explained right before the window disappeared.

They then got on with their tour with Holly Blue still explaining about the recent history. "It's tragic that Pink Diamond's existence in this universe ended up being so finite, but what a selfless act for Blue Diamond to stop forward and spend her own time and energy preserving this place in Pink Diamond's memory. It's a real testament to Blue's merciful and giving nature, don't you think?" The Agate explained before looking at Sapphire.

"Uh, of course." Sapphire said nervously, remembering what happened all those years ago when she and Ruby first fused together. "Boy does she need to have her vision spheres replaced." Peridot joked, saying that Blue Diamond was a joke. Even hearing those pathetic lies about Blue Diamond made Ruby angry as she growled. "Keep it together Ruby. Our roles, remember? Gotta Esteban it." Steven whispered while Holly Blue explained everything else.

"...And past this way is the health and reservation sector, mainly for the Rose Quartzes, and here, of course, is the human disposal shoot." She said, upon hearing the word, disposal shoot, Steven got nervous. "Whaa?! Ho...o...ow do you get in the zoo?!" He yelped in fear, scaring everyone. "Oh there it goes again with it's hilarious noises." Holly said insultingly.

"So, how do you get into the zoo?" Sapphire asked, causing Holly to turn towards her. "An excellent question, your Grand Clarity! On the rare occasion that we would need to enter the containment area, we would do so via this service door." She explained, leading everyone to a pink door with flowers on it.

Seeing the door, Steven and the gang realised that this could be their only way into the zoo without any other problems. "Connie...The door's how we're gonna get to Connie. All we gotta do is cause a distraction." Bismuth whispered to the gang. "My thoughts exactly Bismuth. Ruby, why don't you try and come up with one?" Peridot suggested to the red gem. "Got it." Ruby said, looking around to think about a distraction while Holly Blue Agate kept explaining.

"As a one-way access point, there are no risks of an escape. In fact, it's only been used once for huma de..." As the Agate continued explained morbidly, something completely unexpected happened. "EXPLOSION!" Ruby and Jade blurted out, gaining attention. "Pardon me?!" Holly blue asked with annoyance. "Uhh...I just remembered, I accidently left the gravity engine running." Jade lied, knowing that her crew had taken care of minding the engine very well.

"Y...yeah, that's right. Sorry, my Sapphire. Me and the captain are so forgetful and disposable." Ruby added nervously. "What?" Sapphire asked in confusion, worried that the gang were giving away their cover. The gang then pointed at the door with their eyes, telling her that this was part of the plan.

"A...foreseen turn of events. Yes. It is going to overheat and explode. The damage will be massive" Sapphire lied, hoping Holly bought the story. "My word! I don't know why anyone trusts Rubies with those ships! This is what happens! And thought better of you Nephrites, you should be more careful next time." She said with annoyance.

"If we hurry, we can disable the engine before any damage is done. It should take five minutes, maybe even less with the help of the other Nephrite pilots, so everyone be on your best behavior." Sapphire said before lifting her hair up ans winking in approval of the plan along. Everyone else winked, minus Holly, winked along with her. "This way, your Clarity, although I'm sure you don't need my guidance." Holly said before she and Sapphire walked off.

When they left, Imperia made herself, Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot visible again. "Grr! I can't believe all that stuff about Blue Diamond being merciful! She's a shatterer! She yelled at Sapphire! She hates fusion a...and love!" Ruby growled in anger. "We get it Ruby. Blue's on my kill list too, along with Holly Blue Agate." Bismuth said, annoyed at the agate.

"She was way worse when I was around her! Everytime, she mistreated me for the slightest thing, getting the corridors wet, not surpressing my own sadness and..." Lapis said on the verge of tears, but luckily Peridot calmed her. "It's ok Lapis, she hasn't seen you yet, has she? Either way, I don't think we have much time! We've gotta open the door!" She said before remembering the mission.

"She's right. Ok, Pearl, see if you can get it open." Jade said, allowing Pearl to walk over to the door's opening system. "Of course. What else am I good for?" She said in annoyance, causing Jade to sheepishly look away as Pearl touched the screen lock. "This one's different from the others." She said after seeing the system.

Pearl then tried opening the door, but got an error message. She tried again but the same result happened. "Aha!" She said before trying a different way, only for another error message to appear yet again. "I actually can't figure this out at all." She admitted. "What?" Ruby said in disbelief. "But Pearl, you're supposed to be our hacker." Imperia stated in annoyance. "She doesn't know this tech like me, none of us do. Don't be judgemental." Bismuth said, glaring in the process.

"That's it, it's my turn on that control panel Pearl!" Peridot said as she pushed Pearl to one side and began figuring out the code. "There's no time for this! Steven, Bismuth, Jade, help me open the door! And Peridot, hack faster!" Ruby ordered as everyone agreed with her.

Peridot tried hacking faster as Ruby and Steven bashed away at the door with no avail of it opening. Bismuth tried opening the door with her shapeshifted hands, but doing so nearly caused her gem to crack but gave her a lot of pain. "Well that plan was a bust. Next time, I think we should fuse into Ammolite and bust this thing down." Bismuth stated, barely able to stand. She was lucky enough that Steven even healed her gem before it could crack any further.

"I am so glad we are almost back! I was really enjoying the tour!" Sapphire's voice called out, echoing through the corridors and alerting the gems. "Yes, I can tell by the tone of your voice. Thank you so much for averting that crisis. And if it wasn't for your pilots, then we wouldn't have been able to stop it." Holly Blue said before turning to the gang, minus Imperia, Bismuth, Peridot and Lapis, who looked unsuspecting...strangely.

Holly then gasped upon seeing the dents on the service door. "What is going on?!" She asked, making the gang very nervous. "Oh, well, I'm sure there's a reasonable..." Sapphire started, trying to convince Holly it wasn't the gang when she was cut off. "Did you see the Amethyst that did this?!" She said, allowing everyone to sigh in relief. "Well, no I didn't as a matter of fact." Jade stated. "Honestly, we have guests." Holly Blue stated as she tried wiping the dents off the door.

Suddenly, there was running within the corridor before everyone saw two more Amethyst guards running towards them, one with a ruby facet gem and the other was a normal Amethyst gemstone on the back of her hand. "HOLLY BLUE AGATE! We have important news for you!" The 3rd guard said as she and her twin saluted their superior.

"We do not run or shout in these hallways!" Holly growled, angered by the behaviour of the Amethysts. "I'm sorry. I...i...it's just that..." The 3rd guard mumbled sheepishly. "How am I supposed to know what you're saying when you're mumbling!" Holly said with annoyance, making the two gems panic. "Uhh, I'm sorry, Holly Blue Agate. It's just..." The fourth guard started but the rest was finished by the third guard. "Blue Diamond is on her way!" She said in panic.

Hearing this, made the gang panic. "Oh great." Bismuth whispered in annoyance. "Oh my stars! She's back already?! You two, best behaviour. Shoulders squared! Minds cleared! Backs straight!" Holly said as she brutally hurt the two quartzes. "And surely, Blue Diamond would want to thank you personally for this special delivery, your grand Clarity." She continued towards Sapphire.

"Yes...I suppose...she will." Sapphire said nervously, scared about seeing Blue Diamond again much to Ruby's and Steven's POV. "Sheesh, could this get any worse?" Peridot whispered in annoyance. "Well don't just stand there, you useless chunks of Earth! Make yourself useful and escort that human to the assimilation bay!" Holly ordered as the Amethysts grabbed Steven.

"But...the tour..." Sapphire said, trying not to lose Steven. "Oh, your Clarity. You flatter me, but we really must get ready. Our Diamond will be here any moment." Holly Blue said as Steven was taken away further from the gang who got worried about him. "Ugh, you had to Jinx it didn't you Peri?" Imperia growled with Bismuth and Lapis glaring at the green gem.

* * *

At the assimilation bay

"Let me go, you...Bigger Amethyst!" Steven said as he tried breaking free from the huge quartz guard. "Heh, these newer humans are so spunky. In you go." She said as she shoved Steven into the hatch right before the doors to it closed before he could get out.

Suddenly, the lights switched on and the assimilation process began for the young boy as a conveyor belt inside began moving him towards the containment area with the same red eye watching from outside the zoo. Suddenly, four gem fingers appeared out of nowhere and took a picture of Steven, acting similar to Peridot's old limb enhancer fingers when they revealed Steven's face and scanned him.

They then left before a new set came to Steven. They performed certain health checks on him like Doctor Maheswaran would usually do with Connie, that included checking his teeth for any signs of dental hygiene, squishing his cheeks for unknown reasons, using photon sensitivity within his pupils, taking his temperature which seemed normal and even checking if his nose was blocked or not.

After all that, the fingers began to take Steven's clothes away, starting with his sandles. "Hey!" He said with annoyance before the fingers took off his usual shirt, causing him to groan in annoyance.

When they got to the pants however, Steven whacked the fingers away. "Nope! I will do that myself." He said as he took of his trousers before handing them to the fingers. "I'll just find Connie without pants." He said before the fingers came back. This time, they opened up and sprayed powder on the young boy which caused him to cough.

When the conveyor belt started up again, Steven saw that the next step was a huge machine which looked like it was gonna crush him. Fearing of getting crushed, Steven then ran for his life on the conveyor belt moving him towards the machine, but it was no use as the machine went down onto him and it seemed like it was capable of crushing him...

However, Steven discovered that the machine gave him new clothes. The young boy was now wearing a blue vest, a long white loincloth which was held together by a brown belt around his waist. "Ugh, loincloths." Steven said in annoyance before the fingers came back plugging in purple crystal earrings before two glass barriers sealed him in...which caused him to growl in annoyance.

"Okay! What else, huh?! What else you got for me?! I'm on that Girlfriend mission adrenaline rush, well not...I meant Jam Bud...ugh, you know what I mean, and I'm ready for whatever space junk you have next! Futuristic cattle prods! Human horseshoes! Whatever you got, come and get me!" Steven yelled, finally snapping in a way.

The room was suddenly flooded with water before a hatch opened up and sucked Steven down through a tunnel and out into what appeared to be a lake as he coughed up water. "Huh? What the...what is this place?" Steven asked himself, noticing that he was in the containment area which seemed more of a jungle than a petting zoo. "And where's...?" He was about to look around when he saw _who_ he was looking for.

In front of him, he saw Connie, wearing the same clothes as he was now along with a flower necklace around her neck and she was also with two other humans, one who was braiding he hair into a wavy ponytail and the other one who she was talking to while he was making the flower necklace for her.

"Connie?" Steven said in hopes that it was really her...provided that she didn't get brainwashed. Hearing a familiar voice in the distance, Connie then turned around and saw Steven. "Huh? Steven?!" She said in shock, thinking that she was hallucinating or she mistook him for someone else, either way the two kids ran over and gave each other a hug. "Connie, It's really you! I can't believe it!" Steven said with rejoice. "Steven! Oh my goodness, I am so glad to see you!" Connie said as tears formed within her eyes.

"Connie! When Blue Diamond took you, I got so scared...no, I freaked out. And then the Gems said you might be in some horrible human zoo all chained up to a wall doing tricks for peanuts." Steven said, sobbing in relief when he saw his friend was actually ok.

"Hey, hey, everything's ok. I'm fine, and if it helps, I've had a really good time here. I mean that's what I get for ignoring you and I did try fighting those Amethysts but...Hang on, how did you even get here in the first place?" Connie said while wiping the tears from her eyes before realising something important. "You remember when I got stranded in space and with those Rubies under the command of that Nephrite?" Steven asked as Connie nodded her head. "Well we took that Gem Ship from them and used it to get here." He explained.

"Woah...that's amazing." Connie said with amazement. "Yeah, I'll explain everything on the way home. I ended up getting separated from the gems. We gotta find them and bust you out of here." Steven said he went over to the section of the water in the lake where he first popped out and tried opening it.

"I don't think we can get back out that way. Believe me, I tried when I first got here." Connie said sheepishly. "What? Right, well there might be another way out of here if we can find it." Steven said, determined to find a way out. "Con-nee" A voice called to Connie from a distance. The voice belonged to a human with fairly dark skin and long black poofy hair. "Who is that with you?" He asked with curiosity as a female human with tan skin and long blonde hair spoke up afterwards.

"Is this a new friend, Con-nee?" The female asked. "Oh, Wy-Six, Jay-Ten, I'd like you to meet..." Connie started, only to see Steven move protectively in front of her just in case. "Let me have my friend back already!" He yelled, trying to make sure they didn't brainwash Connie. "Steven, it's ok. These people have actually been very nice to me when I first got here." Connie said, reassuring Steven that the humans meant no harm to her whatsoever.

"Wha?" He said in confusion. Suddenly, more humans appeared as they came out of random hiding places to greet Steven. "Everyone, this is Steven. He's my bo...um best friend." Connie said, nearly saying the wrong thing all together. "Uh...Hi." Steven said as he blushed with a little embarrassment. "Hi." All the humans returned back as a greeting. "Thanks for...brushing Connie's hair...I guess? Oh, by the way, it looks really nice the way they made that." Steven said before Connie blushed and held her braided ponytail.

"Aw thanks, I thought it was pretty too. Anyways, you're not gonna believe this. These guys are actually the descendants of the humans which were brought here by other gems from thousands of years ago. So they've never actually seen Earth before. Pretty freaky, right?" Connie said, explaining why there were humans here. "Ste-van, Con-nee has told stories about you. _Jam buds! Jam buds!_ That's you isn't it?" Wy-Six asked when he came over to the two kids, hoping that this was the Steven he was talking about.

"Jam Buds, Jam Buds, Jam Buds!" All the humans said with excitement. "Come on, say it." One of the humans said with excitement. "Ok...maybe we should get out of here...wait, how do we get out of here?" Connie said awkwardly before asking the question. "We came across a door that leads into the zoo, but we couldn't open it from the other side because it was heavily locked. So my guess, if we try to find it, we can open it from in here." Steven explained, remembering the door from the before.

"Great! Sounds like a plan. We'll find it when night comes, that way we'll be able search for it after the routine is finished and with nobody around." Connie said with confidence, coming up with a plan. "Aw yeah, Jam Buds forever, that's what I'm...wait, what routine?" Steven said with excitement and even causing the zoo humans to cheer before hearing the word _routine._

At moment however, a chime came from the earrings that Steven, Connie and the humans were all wearing as they glowed purple colour. " _Greetings, everyone. It's time to start the daily routine. Please enjoy your meal during this designated eating period._ " A voice said from inside the earrings as many of the humans listened to it before the earrings stopped glowing.

"Who was that? She sounded...strange..." Steven said in confusion. "Ste-van does not know what a little voice is. Just like Con-nee when she first arrived." Wy-Six said as the other humans laughed along with him. "Our little voices guide us through life here." Jay-Ten explained, telling how the mans have been living right before the earrings chimed again. " _You all must be hungry now._ " The voice said as the humans walked off to get some _food_ for themselves.

"Uh...Connie?" Steven said with a concerned tone, mainly because the humans didn't even realise that they were all trapped. That plus he was also worried about him and Connie. "Don't worry about it Steven. We'll be outta here in no time. But for now, why don't we play along? I mean why not give this place a chance for a while?" Connie suggested, making Steven a little nervous and even caused him to think that she'd definitely been brainwashed, but he nodded in agreement and went along with the whole process.

* * *

Over at the so-called _Designated Eating Period_ place.

There were trees which were supposed to hold fruit for the humans, but from Steven's perspective, there were none whatsoever, that is, until purple crystal like fruit magically appeared on them.

"Here you go, Con-nee." Jay-Ten said as she handed Connie a small fruit and stroked her hair. "Aw, thanks Jay-Ten." She replied gratefully with a smile. "Ste-van, today the fruit is purple." Wy-Six said with excitement. During the eating period, the voice came back once again to speak with the humans. " _Are you enjoying the food?_ " The voice asked all the humans. "Oh yes." They responded in delight.

" _How is the food? Is it good?_ " The voice asked Wy-Six. "Yes. It is delicious." He said as he took a bite of the fruit. Steven, though concerned enough, also ate the fruit, mainly because he was on an empty stomach when it rumbled. Either way, he and Connie laughed at that.

Upon a hill...which seemed more of a playground...

" _Now it's time to play._ " The voice said to the humans as they rolled down the hill laughing along with Connie and...well, all except for Steven who rolled down the hill uncomfortably. When he reached the bottom and saw that Connie was looking at him, he faked a laugh of excitement.

" _Now everyone, reach up like you're going to touch outer space. That's it. Reach up high._ " The voice said as everyone put their arms up and reached for the sky along with Connie and Steven, who awkwardly did too. "Wasn't that fun?" The voice asked sweetly. "I have not had that much fun since yesterday." Wy-Six said with excitement.

Over at a flower garden

" _It's time to stop and smell the flowers._ " The voice said to the humans as every one of them stopped to smell the beautiful looking flowers except Steven who stood there and looked at everyone. "What if I don't want to smell the flowers?" He asked in confusion. "Why wouldn't you want to do that?" Jay-Ten asked as she put a flower in Steven's hair before he took it out and looked at it worryingly. Connie noticed how Steven was feeling, but decided to leave it for later.

Down at a lake with overflowing waterfalls

" _Time to clean up everyone. Let's all take a refreshing bath._ " The voice said as everyone of the humans apart from Connie and Steven cleaned themselves off with the water and even relaxed in it with fun. "Watch my splash, Con-nee." Jay-Ten said as she jumped into the lake making the quietest splash in the history of splashes before she chuckled.

"Nice one Jay-Ten!" Connie called with amazement as Steven looked over at her with confusion. "Con-nee, watch mine!" Wy-Six called as he dived into the water with the same results from Jay-Ten's splash. "Those are the tiniest splashes I've ever seen." Steven stated upon seeing the splashes.

"Tell me about it. Anyways, maybe this'll mix it up a little. Hey Wy-Six, ever heard of a cannonball?" Connie said before going up to the lake and speaking to Wy-Six as he got out of the lake. "Haha. I have never heard of it. Tell me what it is please." He asked be Connie gave him the answer. "Then check it out, I'll show you. CANNONBALL!" While speaking, Connie backed up before she jumped into the pool as a cannonball and splash, the water went everywhere.

This amazed everyone before doing the same thing as Connie who chuckled in pride, all the while, Steven watched everyone have so much fun...too much fun, right before the little voice came to him. " _Wouldn't you like to clean off in the pool?_ " It asked. "Alright, alright." Steven said before he did a cannonball. "Yeah, Cannonball!" Wy-Six called with excitement as Connie swam over to him with concern.

"Hey, you ok there Steven?" Connie asked in concern. "I just...can't believe this. They're all so happy. It's like they don't even know that they're trapped here." Steven finally admitted, seeing the humans minding their own business and having fun instead of wondering where they were. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But to be honest, I don't think they've ever been anywhere else and they seem to love it here. I mean, you can't blame them, they have everything they need and they never had to worry about anything." Connie explained from what she realised.

"I guess you're right. But...we can't just leave them here." Steven said before feeling concerned for everyone else trapped in the zoo. "We'll figure something out." Connie said before the light which was assumed to act like a sun became blocked and then became some form of crescent moon before the earrings chimed once more.

" _And now it's time to say goodnight. Good night, everyone. Sweet dreams._ " The voice said as everyone went to sleep on some strangely comfortable bushes. "Wow, that was pretty amazing. Too bad they took my phone, I could have gotten a really great picture of us. Anyways, see you in the morning Steven." Connie said before trying to get some sleep, but Steven put his hand under her cheek. "Connie, now's our chance to get out of here." He said before Connie suggest that they lie down for a moment or two and the young boy agreed.

The two kids then looked up at what they presumed to be Stars in the false night sky. "You know...if those were really stars, then I'd be amazed by them." Connie said with amazement. "Yeah...One other thing, Before Blue Diamond took you, I heard you saying something about your grandma dying and it was hard do move on. What was that about?" Steven said with a question coming to mind.

"Well...ok. When my granny died, I felt alone and I usually waited for her to come visit again to see if it was all a dream...but when my mom told me that she was never coming back...well...I guess you can guess what happened next. Anyways, one day, I met you...and I think we know the rest." Connie explained despite a few tears streaming from her eyes. "Woah...I...I was the reason you felt good afterwards?" Steven asked with shock. "Yeah, my mom said that I needed a friend to help move on from that grief." Connie admitted but quickly calmed down a little.

"Yeah...I can understand that. I felt lonely before any of this, but when I met you, everything changed for better. Man...I should have been there to help you." Steven said in shame of not being able to help Connie before she was taken. "Hey...just so you know, neither of us could have known what she was going to do. I mean, we're both not like Sapphire." Connie reassured once again, placing her hand on Steven's.

The pair of them chuckled in agreement before something hit Steven. "Oh geez, that reminds me. We better get out of here." He said in realization before he got Connie to her feet and ran off with her.

* * *

A few seconds later

Steven and Connie snuck around the containment area, through the trees and bushes in hopes of finding the pink door once again. "Wow, that little voice really had me getting on that sleep schedule before you showed up." Connie said as she yawned.

"I'll let you sleep on the way back, but for now, we gotta find..." Steven started, only to bump into the wall of the containment area. But looking a little closer, the two kids saw that it was the pink door once again under the leaves. "Is that...? It is, it's the door." Steven said having finally reached where they needed to go. "Nice, now we can get out this way. So...how do we get it open?" Connie said with excitement before her expression changed to a confused one.

Knowing no other option, Steven started banging on the door as hard as he could in order to make a lot of loud noise enough to gain attention from the quartz soldiers on the other side. Nothing was working at the moment, and to make matters worse, Wy-Six and Jay-Ten appeared from behind a bush.

"Con-nee!" Wy-Six said as she surprised Connie who got a fright. "Ste-van!" Jay-Ten said with excitement as she frightened Steven. "So you're the ones making the noise." Wy-Six said happily. "What are you doing? Is it a game?" Jay-Ten asked playfully. "Can we play too?" Wy-Six asked, hoping that they could.

"It's not a game. We need to get this door open." Steven said with a serious attitude as the two humans came over to the kids. "What is a door?" Jay-Ten asked with curiosity. "It's like this part of the wall but it opens up." Steven explained. "Walls don't open. They're walls." Wy-Six said after laughing, the two kids couldn't blame him, having been in this zoo for thousands of years, these humans had no knowledge of Earth. "There is a story of an opening wall. A very long time ago, a Gem came through a wall hole to help someone who was hurt." Jay-Ten said, gaining Steven's attention with the words, _help_ and _hurt_.

"What do you mean hurt?" Wy-Six asked in confusion. "I don't know. I don't know what hurt is." Jay-Ten said with her non-earth understandings. "I know what hurt is." Connie said as she raised her hand. "You do?" The two humans said in unison. "Yeah...well...Hurt is like when you feel bad." Steven explained. "Bad?" Wy-Six asked confusingly. "Yeah, like, it's the complete opposite of good." Connie explained before the two humans looked at each other with confusion.

"Ok, if this is how we get out, then Steven, hit me, right in face." Connie said, shocking Steven when he heard what his jam bud had asked of him. "What?! Connie, I'm not gonna hit you! I can't even think about hitting a girl." Steven said firmly, refusing to hurt Connie. "Steven listen, it's our only way of getting out of here, so one of us has to hit the other." She said, trying to get Steven to hit her.

"Fine, ok. If one of us is gonna get hit, then you can hit me." Steven said, allowing Connie to strike a blow upon his stomach. "Steven...I dunno..." Connie said, unsure if she could bare to hit Steven. "I can take it, besides, I can heal afterwards." Steven said with confidence.

Unsure about the plan, but wanting to get out, Connie then attempted to punch Steven, but it ended up being a pathetic one. "Come on, Connie, give me all you got. I can take it." Steven said, preparing for another impact as Connie proceeded to punch Steven in the stomach, but even that was was still too puny.

"Come on Connie, try harder." Steven said, getting slightly annoyed that her punches weren't enough. "I can't do it Steven, I know we've done sword training with Pearl but this isn't the answer. I can't..." Hearing this from Connie, Steven got annoyed and tried doing it the hard way. "The bullies hits harder than that!" Steven said insultingly, causing Connie to gasp in anger before she struck a tough blow on Steven, one hard enough to even send him rolling back against the tree as Wy-Six and Jay-Ten watched.

"Don't you _dare_ compare me to Darren Galaxy!" Connie growled before regretting what she did. "Cannonball!" Wy-Six said with excitement, oblivious to Steven's pain as Connie ran over to the young boy in a fright. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry Steven, I didn't mean that! Are you ok?!" She asked in a fright. "I'm ok, I don't think the bullies hit harder than you...also, is anyone coming?" Steven asked as he groaned in pain and got to his feet. Connie looked towards the door, hoping it would open but there was no signs of it opening.

"Hmm, doesn't look like it. You wanna try hitting me for revenge?" Connie asked. "No...you're...too important for me to hit. Plus...I've never hit a girl in my life." Steven groaned as he clutched his stomach where Connie hit him, boy it was a good thing she didn't hit the gemstone. "Right...well, we'll have to try something different then." Connie said but unable to think of anything for the moment.

"Like what?" Steven asked, but before Connie could answer, the earrings chimed once more and gained their attention. "Whatever the voice tells us for now. We'll figure something out." Connie suggested. " _It is time for the choosening. Please gather around the circle of choosening._ " The voice said before Jay-Ten and Wy-Six turned towards the two kids.

"Ste-van, Con-nee, the choosening will start soon." Jay-Ten said as she and Wy-Six walked towards Steven and Connie. "Come with us. It's...it's finally time!" Wy-Six stated in excitement as the two kids looked at each other in confusion.

* * *

At the Choosening circle.

Wy-Six and Jay-Ten pushed a couple of bushes to the side to reveal two circles of bright light in one another. All the humans were there as they laughed upon seeing their other human friends. "Con-nee, step into the circle with us." Jay-Ten said as she guided Connie into the circle. "Wow, does this thing tell somebody's birthday?" Connie asked with excitement as she walked into the circle.

"Ste-van, wait here until the choosening is complete." Wy-Six said as he went into the circle with the girls. "The choosening is a very special event to us." Jay-Ten explained to Connie as Wy-Six appeared beside here. "We're glad to have you with us at such a wonderful time." He said happily to Connie.

"Thanks, I'm glad to be here." Connie replied sheepishly before all the earrings glowed. " _Let the choosening begin._ " The voice said, going around random humans until it chose one. " _U-12, please step into the center of the circle._ " It said as the human called U-12 did so. The voice then went around choosing another human until it found it's one. " _F-3, please step into the center of the circle._ " The voice said as the human called F-3 then stepped into the circle with U-12.

" _You have been choosened for each other._ " The voice said as the two humans held each other's hands happily. But from Connie's POV, she freaked out on the inside. "Wait...are you saying...this is some kind of matchmaking thing that chooses the people?! Ugh, I knew there was something I should have figured." Connie said in fear of being choosen, mainly because she was 13 years old and still had her life ahead of her.

"Con-nee, whoever is chosen for you will be very lucky." Wy-Six said to her right before his earrings lit up. " _Wy-Six, please step into the center of the circle._ " The little voice said as Wy-Six stepped into the circle. "Uh oh...Uh, Steven, a little help here?" Conne whispered nervously in a singsong. "Don't worry Connie. You're new here, and young too, so maybe you won't get choosened." Steven said with reassurance even though he had his doubts. "Yeah...good point." Connie said, knowing that what Steven said was true...until the unthinkable happened.

" _Con-nee, please step into the center of the circle._ " The voice said to Connie which frightened her upon hearing that as everyone clapped for the young girl. "Oh boy, I've been wrong before." Steven said to himself in shock. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Maybe there was some kind of mistake?!" Connie asked the earrings nervously. "Con-nee, Wy-Six is waiting for you." Jay-Ten said with excitement, gesturing Wy-Six waiting in the circle as he smiled and everyone else cheered. "Oh, I see what's going on here." Jay-Ten in realisation, making Connie very nervous. "You...do?" She managed to say.

"You are just shy." Jay-Ten said, getting the wrong idea all together. "Wait, what?!" Connie said in shock as she was pushed towards Wy-Six by Jay-Ten as she laughed. "Do not worry about it." She said before reaching the circle. "Now, touch hands." She added, trying to get Connie to hold Wy-Six's hands.

Before they could touch them however, Connie quickly yanked her hands away. "STOP FOR A SECOND! This isn't how this thing works on Earth! I don't want to be told who to be choosened with! In fact, I'm way too young to be choosened! Why the heck did those gems even call it choosened?!" She yelled in panic out loud before she stopped and panted heavily.

"Con-nee...this makes no sense. Why wouldn't you want to be choosened?" Jay-Ten asked in confusion. "First off, I'm way to young for this. Secondly, back on Earthm there isn't any voice which tells you who to be with and the decision is your own...at least that's what my parents told me." Connie explained before Steven butted in. "She's right, my mom and dad didn't get together because someone told them too. They spent time getting to know one another and fell in love. They choosened each other 'cause that's what they choosed." Steven explained to everyone.

Having heard this, the humans then thought about what they heard for a second before something happened. "Hmm, I see. Well, if that's how it's done on Earth then...I choose Con-nee." Jay-Ten said as she held Connie's hand. "And I also choose Con-nee." Wy-Six said as she held Connie's other hand.

Soon, all the humans gathered around Connie, nearly smothering her, especially when she got a little claustrophobic. "WAIT!" She screamed in fear before everyone stopped. Catching her breath, Connie then spoke up once more. "Sorry about the outburst. But I get a say in this too, I'm also flattered that you all chose me, of course you get to choose whoever you want, but I also get to say too. And in this case I choose...uh...none...of you?" Connie said, feeling bad that she said that and opening one eye to peek.

Upon hearing those words from Connie, the humans stopped smiling and instead, began to cry, one of the humans even ripped their vest in the process, everyone of the humans apart from Steven and Connie cried because of this one decision.

"Oh, oh, oh no...Please don't cry...I'm really sorry, but I'm 13 years old, I'm way to young for you all...But, you can choose someone else...right?" Connie said, trying to calm the humans down, but nothing she said even worked. "I fell not good. I feel bad." Jay-Ten cried. "Could this be...is this hurt?" Wy-Six asked while sobbing. "Why would Con-nee hurt us? Take this hurt away." Jay-Ten said as she and all the other humans reached out for Connie.

"Ok? Let's reach out for the stars everyone, reach up...high?" Steven suggested to the humans nervously, but they didn't listen and kept advancing towards the two kids. "Steven...might I be to choosened a plan?" Connie said with a fright. "Sure, what is it?" Steven asked as he held her hand nervously as the humans chanted _Take it away, Take it away, Take it away_.

"RUUUUUN!" Connie screamed as she grabbed Steven's hand and ran away from the humans and far into the fake forest. The humans however, kept chasing the two kids as they ran frantically for the exit of the zoo. "I knew there was a problem with this place from the moment I got here! I think I'm ready to go home now!" Connie said, nervously laughing. "Yeah, I'm glad you know what I thought now." Steven said with a smile before a human tried jumping on the two kids but luckily missed.

The two kids then lost the humans for a few seconds, but during those seconds, Connie tripped up and twisted her ankle and yelped in pain. "Connie come on, you've gotta get up!" Steven said in a panic, hearing the humans coming for them. "I...I can't, I twisted my ankle. Ow, it hurts." She groaned in pain.

Normally Steven could heal Connie's ankle, but because he was scared out of his wits about the humans coming to find them. "Just go Steven, I'll catch up!" Connie groaned, wanting to save Steven's life, but the young boy refused to do that. "Not happening Connie, just hang on and don't let go!" He said before he scooped Connie up into his arms and ran off with the humans still following closely behind.

It was a few minutes before the humans were following them dangerously close behind. "I don't think we can outrun them for long Steven." Connie said as she saw the humans following behind. "Well what are we gonna do then? It's not like we have a disguise or something..." Steven said before Trailing off, realising something. "Stevonnie!" They both said in unison before fusing into Stevonnie, just as the humans came by.

The fusion then began to cry having punched herself in the stomach on Connie's side. "They...They went that way! I tried my luck with Con-nee again, but she still refused." Stevonnie cried, giving the humans false directions as they followed it without realising that the two kids they were after were actually Stevonnie.

"Ow...next time could you warn me about that Connie? Sorry Steven, but it was the only way to get them off our trail, and it worked." Stevonnie said to herself before unfusing back into the two kids. Connie then held her ankle in pain before Steven used his healing spit to make it better. "Thanks, I was hoping not to give you too much trouble." Connie said, rubbing her ankle. "You're welcome. Man what a day, if you think my dad broke this many hearts when he had his hair was bad enough, I think this is worse than that." Steven said sheepishly as Connie agreed with him before they laughed a little.

"Can we both agree never to speak about this?" Connie asked before Steven nodded, after all, they didn't even think that Peridot would let them forget this easily if they told her. At that moment however, the pink door opened as a bunch of Amethyst guards ran in and spead out to try and calm down the humans.

Steven and Connie were both lucky to duck behind a bush to avoid being discovered as a human ran by with an Amethyst chasing her. "Hey, get back here." She said, trying to catch the human. "Ok...this is insane." Connie whispered, cringing at the thought of being carried by the huge quartz soldiers like they did with all the other humans. One Amethyst in particular, was by a tree where a human clung to it like a monkey while crying. "Just come down. Let's talk about." She said, trying to reassure the human.

Another Amethyst was beside a human while she tried calming him down. "I'll never choosen again." The human cried. "Sure you will. We'll sort this out." The Amethyst said, reassuring the human. Connie then looked towards the open which was still opened. "Steven, now's our chance, let's go!" She whispered before making a run for the door along with Steven who ran beside her. "Great, then all we have to do is find the others, get back to the Roaming Eye and get the heck out of here." Steven said with a plan.

However, just before the two kids could reach it, they were both caught by an Amethyst guard who spotted them and even grabbed them. "Oh no you don't." She said threateningly. "Put us down!" Steven yelled, flailing his arms about to try and get free of the guard's grasp. "So you two were the ones causing all the trouble." The guard said, looking at the two kids. "I wasn't supposed to be here in the first place, I belong on Earth, just please let me go!" Connie yelped before the guard glared at them both. "Well I can say this to you kids now: You're both, in big trouble." After speaking, the guard then ran off with the two kids right before the door to the containment area closed off.

* * *

In another area of the zoo

The Amethyst guard brought Steven and Connie to a room before dropping them roughly onto the ground. "These the ones?" She asked as the two kids got up and saw that the room the were in some sort of placement for the Quartz soldiers.

There weren't just Amethyst, but also Jaspers too. Every Quartz in the room filled the room with a lot of laughter, intimidating laughter, scaring Steven and Connie. "Zumone 'elp us!" A familiar voice called out to the two kids and it was more frightening when another voice spoke. "Steven! Connie! They found me out!" Upon moving aside, the Amethysts revealed another Amethyst holding Citrine and her sister Amethyst hostage as they tried grunting.

"We couldn't keep ur shapeshifted fairms up fair any longair!" Citrine squealed in fear. "Amethyst, Citrine!" Steven yelled in panic, the jig was up for them. "Get off me you clods!" Peridot's voice said, revealing to be held along with Lapis and Imperia by another Amethyst.

"Steven! They found out we were invisible! We tried fighting but we got seperated and taken down!" Imperia yelled, unable to summon her telepathic arrow because of her eye being blocked. "You won't believe what we've been through. There Amethysts, they're really, really...Great!" Amethyst said before smiling on that last phrase.

"What?!" Steven, Connie, Peridot and Lapis said in unison. When they said that, all of the Amethyst laughed out loud. "You're faces!" The Amethyst who caught the two kids laughed. "You were right! That was priceless." Another one laugh as she let go of the two quartz sisters, revealing everything to be a prank.

Lapis, Peridot and Imperia were then released too. "Um, Amethyst...Would you mind explaining what the heck is going on you clod?!" Peridot said with annoyance. "Did you just blow our cover for some prank?!" Lapis angrily asked. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry you guys! I had to! In fact, neither of us could resist doing this." Amethyst laughed as she ran over and hugged the two kids. "What are you deux waiyaireng? Connié! Zis eez a good look fair you." Citrine said, noticing the current outfits that the two kids were wearing.

"What the heck is going on?!" Steven asked in confusion. "These Amethysts, they're all from Earth! They're from the Prime Kindergarten!" Amethyst said, revealing that the quartz soldiers were all from Pink Diamond's court, only they moved to Blue Diamond's court. "Oh...my...stars...you've gotta be kidding me..." Peridot said in disbelief.

"You'd better believe it Peri. Wait! Hey, 8XL!" Amethyst said as she called over to one of the quartz soldiers. "Yeah?" She asked. "You guys, I'm an 8! Tell 'em. Tell 'em!" Amethyst said, begging the quartz soldier to explain something. "The Amethyst under me never popped out. We're all waiting, and...pfft...nothing." 8XL explained, revealing that during Earth's colonisation, Amethyst didn't pop out until years later.

"I'm 8XM! In other words, Amethyst 1 Facet-5, Cut-8XM, that's me! This is 8XG, this is 8XH." Amethyst said as she introduced some of her other quartz sisters...who seemed more like courins in Peridot's case. "I'm J." Amethyst 8XJ corrected. "Ah geez! Sorry I'm worse thatn Holly Blue!" Amethyst said with a crazed excitement. "Aren't we all?" 8XJ said before she and the other Amethysts laughed.

"Prime, prime, prime. You Amethysts are all so cliquey." A skinny Jasper said with a smile. "Uh...Amethyst, is that..." Lapis started, only to have the answer given to her. "Yep. Skinny's a Jasper! There are Gems here from the Beta Kindergarten too! Even from the Delta Kindergarten!" Amethyst said. "Wow...come to think of it, I think she's a lot better than you know who." Lapis said with a smile. "You can say that again. Hey, where's Carnelian?" Amethyst asked the skinny Jasper with excitement. "Celebrating." Skinny asked right before a scarlet gem with dark maroon hair, peachy-orange eyes and an redish-orange gemstone on her shoulder picked up Amethyst with excitement. "I'm not the shortest anymore!" The red quartz said as she ran around the room laughing with Amethyst.

"And you guys aré not goéng to béliévé zis! But zere aré also othair Citrines haire, Hugé ones, défectivé ones! Ai could go on fair a while." Citrine said, showing the Citrines she said about. "This is...crazy." Connie said in shock. "If you think that's crazy enough, check this out!" Bismuth voice called to the gang, revealing to be over by a group of colourful quartz soldiers who strangely bared the symbol of...the crystal gems.

"Uh...who are those guys Bismuth?" Steven asked in confusion. "Who are they?! They're actually members of the crystal gems! Every one of these girls, like Prasiolite, Milky, Cat's Eye and even Lazulite." Bismuth relied, introducing more surviving Crystal gems. "That's great and all, but if you don't mind me asking, we really need your help. We came here with Sapphire, Ruby, Jade and Pearl. We've gotta find them and get them out of..." Steve started calling out to all the quartzes right before the door behind them opened, revealing Holly Blue standing right behind them talking to Sapphire.

Boy were the two kids just in time for getting out of the way, otherwise they would have been toast. "I'll only be a moment." Holly Blue said before she went into the quartz room as the two kids hid behind an Amethyst. "What are you all doing here?! Get to your stations! Even you off-color Betas, Deltas and useless Crystal Gem Wannabes! Get out of your cubbies and into your places! It's the least you can do for the Diamond that kept your worthless, sorry Gems in service! That's right. Blue is back already! Now go pretend your filthy vein of Quartz is capable of gratitude! Go, go, go!" She continued, lashing out on every quartz in the room before they all ran out the door to their stations.

Steven and Connie managed to sneak behind them with Amethyst, Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot, Imperia and Carnelian. "Disperse! My Diamond is waiting!" Holly Blue said in annoyance to the Quartz soldiers. "Run! Just run! I'll find you! Go! Carnelian'll help you, just keep moving!" Amethyst said as the gang ran to a nearby room. "This way you guys, they'll never find us in here!" Carnelian said, leading the gang into a pink room before the door closed behind them.

* * *

In the Pink Room

Imperia tried opening the door, but it wouldn't respond no matter how hard she tried. "Great...we're locked in this place, so why'd you bring us here Carnelian?" Lapis asked, only to see the red quartz focused on something above her. Looking up, the gang gasped in horror at the sight of something they'd never expect to see.

Bubbled gems, but somehow...these gems had a facet which seemed strangely familiar to Steven. "Who bubbled all these gems?" He asked in confusion, peeping out from behind a pillar. "Wow...no, more in portantly, what are all these gems?" Connie asked.

"Rose...Quartz gems." Peridot said in amazement, gaining shocked expressions from the young boy. "Wait...you're saying...? I thought...?" Steven stuttered, looking at his mother's gem but cut off by Bismuth. "You didn't think that Rose was the only gem of her kind did you?" She said before noticing Peridot at a nearby computer looking through the various files, plans for Earth's colonisation, the cluster within, so many boring files...but one.

"What the...? PD 2.0? No...that can't be right, why are those clods bothering to create another one when she can't replace the original one?" Peridot said to herself, not noticing one of Steven's eyes was tearing up apart from the others. "Oh no! We gotta hide!" The young boy said, pulling Connie behind the pillar before Lapis grabbed Peridot with one of her wings and yanked her beside the piller beside along with Imperia, Carnelian and Bismuth.

At that moment, the door to the room opened and in walked a rather tall cloaked figure, revealing to be Blue Diamond along with her Blue Pearl and Drusy Quartz. "Pearl, close the door." Blue Diamond sighed before her Pearl did so. Blue then removed her hood, revealing her sad face.

The gang stayed behind the pillers while viewing Blue Diamond, all except for Lapis who stayed hidden out of fear. At that moment, another Diamond appeared. She wasn't like Yellow or Blue Diamond, rather, her skin was a pinkish red colour, she had short red hair, her eyes were red...or rather one of them as the left eye was covered with a bang of hair, she wore a similar outfit to Blue, but mainly covered her head with the hood. He gemstone was on her chest and also red, showing that she must have been Red Diamond, the Diamond Peridot mentioned a while back.

"I thought you'd be here. It's the only place you'd go when you become upset." The Diamond spoke, surprising Blue Diamond in the process. "Red? Sorry, I did not see you there." Blue Diamond said apologetically as the gang looked at the two women speaking to each other. "It's alright. I'm not judging you. Besides, I understand Pink meant everything to you, so I share your pain." Red Diamond said calmly, right as her Pearl happily went beside Blue's Pearl and gave her a hug. Not only that, but Drusy Quartz was also comforted a little by Red Diamond's two Pyrope Soldiers, both fused together with out the scolding of their Diamond given to them.

Peridot was then amazed that Red had defective gems in her own court and didn't even mind. "Red Diamond tends to treat Off Color gems as equals. In fact, I don't think I've mentioned this before, but she spends most of her time studying planets instead of colonizing them, a pretty nice way for a Diamond to go." She whispered to the gang. "We gotta go, they could notice us any second." Steven whispered in fear before the gang tried moving to the next pillar.

However, while comforting Blue Diamond, Red heard movement before lifting up her bang, revealing her eye with a Diamond tatoo on it and also showing it to be red with a white pupil. Using the eye, Red Diamond spotted the gang hiding behind the pillar. " _What are you doing here?_ " She spoke through their minds. "Wha...? Who said that?" Connie asked with a scared voice. " _I am Red Diamond, and I would like to know what you are doing in Pink Diamond's room._ " Red asked. "We were just trying to find our way out again. I just came here because Blue Diamond took my friend to the Zoo, so me and the Crystal gems had to..." Steven started, but cut off by a slight headache.

" _Crystal gems?!_ " Red spoke with a sudden surge of anger. She then glowed a red like fire aura before aiming it at the gang. Surprisingly, Blue Diamond was too busy grieving for Pink, that she didn't notice. All the while, Red's power affected the gems, distorting their bodies and misshaping them in horrifying ways. " _Give me one good reason why I shouldn't distort your forms permanetly._ " Red spoke through her mind with rage.

"Ow...Steven help, she's hurting us!" Imperia groaned with pain. "Stop please, I didn't mean to come into the room. Please...I just want to get Connie home, to Earth, where she belongs. Can't you find it in your heart to let us go?" Steven pleaded leaving the Diamond to think for a moment. "Very well, be on your way. But be careful, there are many gems who are after you." Red said before she dismissed her aura and looked a little closer at Steven with her power.

"Also, it's strange...you remind me of someone...Someone pink, someone..." The Diamond spoke, but before she could finish the door opened once again, revealing two Diamonds, the first was Yellow Diamond who wore her usual outfit but with a short yelow tailcoat kind of attire, and the second was Black Diamond who sat comfortably on Yellow's shoulder pads. From Steven's point of view, Black Diamond was revealed to be a short but very sinister gem.

The two Diamonds noticed Red and Blue in the room before looking in both annoyance and disgust at why they were both in Pink's Room. "Please tell me you're joking." Yellow said in annoyance as the gang hid firmly behind their pillar. "I don't think they are Yellow." Black spoke before jumping off the shoulder pad and onto the floor as she and Yellow walked over to the two Diamonds, Red particually wasn't happy to see Yellow and Noir.

"You only just left and you're already back?" Yellow Diamond said annoyingly. "Yellow! W...What are you doing here?" Blue asked upon hearing Yellow's voice. "Hmph, I saw you coming either way." Red spoke with anger. "Yeah, tell it to someone who cares Red." Noir hissed, almost causing Red to punch her, but stopped by Yellow. "None of that Red, if you please. Anyways, I'm here to bring you back to reality Blue." She spoke firmly as Black Diamond smirked.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone." Blue begged, wanting to be left with Red. "Aw, tough, because you're both gonna listen no matter what." Noir said as her new Pearl and Yellow's Pearl appeared alondside Red and Blue Pearls to their discomfort. To make matters worse, Drusy Quartz and the two Pyropes were harrassed by Bloodstone with her mist powers and a Cat's Eye Opal who annoyed them. "It's been thousands of years Blue, yet you cannot bring yourself or Red to destroy these Gems?" Yellow stated, disappointed at the bubbled Gems not being destroyed.

"You know that's not the way of our Authority. Pink wouldn't approve with this plus it was only just the one..." Red Diamond started but cut off once again by Noir. "Well in case you've forgotten, she was shattered by a Rose Quartz! So the entire cut of Gem should deserve the same fate!" She spoke harshly, rearing up to her face.

"But they were _hers_ Noir, you know that." Blue said in her own defence and Red's too. "They should be wiped out of existance, not kept safe in bubbles!" Yellow Diamond spoke angrilly towards her two sisters. All the while, Steven lead the gang towards the door they came through and tried opening it, but it would budge no matter what they tried.

"Indeed they should Aureolin. But apparently, Palantine and Scarlet are still...how do I put this? Living in the past, thinking of Fuchisa." Black Diamond spoke with a smirk upon her face, revealing the other names of the Diamonds. Steven then lead the gang towards another pillar while the Diamonds still argued and Red Diamond keeping her eye on them carefully.

"Yellow, Noir, Pink made these Gems. This is all we have left of her. These Gems, this place, and the Earth." Blue said, reminding everyone that Earth was Pink's colony. "I thought we agreed that we need to put that planet and this whole debacle behind us." Yellow said, reminding Blue of something else. "You and Noir agreed to that, not Blue or me." Red growled. "Ha, take that Yellow Clod." Peridot laughed quietly before Lapis covered her mouth, gaining the attention of Drusy Quartz.

"Oh please, Earth was supposed to be my colony after Pink was shattered, yet you deny me of having it. I should have figured you'd be such a softie." Black Diamond hissed angrily. "Why can't you two just let me grieve?" Blue asked, now annoyed at Noir's venomous lies as Connie pointed out the door that the Diamonds came through. "You both can't keep coming here forever! I forbid it for one!" Yellow spoke firmly. "But why not?!" Red asked, finally snapping.

Annoyed by this, Yellow sighed before turning towards her own Pearl. "Pearl, do something. Sing for her. Make her feel better." She requested from her servent. "You too Pearl, try something which could convince these two grumps." Noir said to her own Pearl. "Yes, my Diamond." The two pearls said in unison. Yellow's Pearl then tried gaining Blue and Red Pearl's attention which didn't work the first time, but the second time it worked before they had begun to sing.

 **[0:00] What's the Use of Feeling Blue? -** **Patti LuPone, Zoe Saldana and Tara Strong**

[Yellow, Red, Black and Blue Pearl]

 _~ Aah haa haa, aah haa haa_

 _~ Aah ha aah ha, aah haa haa_

 _~ Aah haa haa, aah haa haa_

 _~ Aah haa haa haa haa haa haa haa haaaaa_

As the Pearls began their song, Steven and the others ran towards another pillar right before Yellow began to sing herself while pacing around.

[Yellow Diamond]

 _~ Why would you want to be here?_

 _~ What do you ever see here_

 _~ That doesn't make you feel worse than you do?_

 _~ And tell me, what's the use of feeling, Blue?_

The gang saw Yellow singing and making her fellow sisters quite uncomfortable in a way before moving on. Carnelian got distracted a little with the song, but luckily Bismuth pulled her behind cover before she was noticed.

[Black Diamond]

 _~ Why would you want to employ her_

 _~ subjects that destroyed her?_

 _~ Why keep up her silly zoo?_

 _~ Oh, tell me what's the use of feeling, Blue?_

Getting close to Blue Diamond, Noir sung her verse as she mentioned the Rose Quartzes in the bubbles, pushing them away with her dark powers while the gang ran to the next pillar for cover and despite nearly found by the other Diamonds, they made it.

Cat's Eye Opal wanted to join in, but was forbidden by her own Diamond. "Not you." Yellow said firmly, making her Gem sad.

[Yellow Diamond]

 _~ An army has a use, they can go and fight a war_

 _~ A Sapphire has a use, she can tell you what it's for_

Bloodstone nearly managed to spot Lapis as she shook violently in fear. If it wasn't for Peridot who calmed her friend down, Lapis would have given their hiding spot away.

[Black Diamond]

 _~ An Agate terrifies, a Lapis terraforms_

 _~ Where's their Diamond when they need her, Blue?_

While singing, Yellow's Pearl pretended to scare Blue's Pearl as Black's Pearl caught Red's Pearl once she tripped her up.

[Yellow and Black Diamond]

 _~ You've got to be a leader, Blue!_

Upon Blue Diamond walking over to a nearby pillar that the gang was hiding behind with Yellow and Black Diamonds following behind her, they quickly managed to run down the stairs and hid behind another one and moving on to the next.

[Yellow Diamond]

 _~ Yes, of course, we still love her_

 _~ And we're always thinking of her_

 _~ But now there's nothing we can do_

[Yellow Diamond, Cat's Eye Opal (Unexpectedly) and Pearls]

 _~ So tell me_

 _~ What's the use of feeling?_

 _~ What's the use of feeling?_

 _~ What's the use of feeling, Blue?_

As the Pearls sung, Yellow held out for her hand as they stepped onto it and were lifted off the ground. And upon hearing Cat's Eye Opal singing, Noir slapped the gem to shut her up, frightening the other gems.

[Yellow Diamond]

 _~ Ohh_

 _~ How can you stand to be here with it all_

Yellow held the Pearls up in the air with her hand as they sung, whilst Noir used a blue aura power which strangely made Red Pearl cry a little.

[Yellow, Red, Black and Blue Pearl]

 _~ Here with it all_

[Black Diamond]

 _~ Drowning in all this regret_

 _~ Wouldn't you rather forget her?_

Looking over at Noir and Yellow, Blue Diamond was quite insulted with the idea of forgetting Pink Diamond. "I wouldn't!" Red growled before suddenly had Noir's finger pressed on her lips. "Shush." Noir said before singing.

[Yellow Diamond]

 _~ Ohh_

 _~ Won't it be grand to get rid of it all?_

[Yellow, Red, Black and Blue Pearl]

 _~ Rid of it all_

Singing, Yellow suddenly started smiling. It was actually creepy in a way, almost like she planned to destroy Earth, and the Pearls didn't even seem worried about it from Connie's view...yet somehow, deep down the pearls were worried for Earth in Steven's eyes.

[Yellow and Black Diamond]

 _~ Let's make a plan of attack_

 _~ Start looking forward and stop looking back_

 _~ Ohh_

Yellow used her hand to move away the bubbles surrounding her and Noir then used a yellow electric aura to immitate an attack which gave the gang enough time to make it to the second to last pillar near the door.

At that moment, Red Diamond stood up to Yellow before starting to sing in Blue's defence.

[Red Diamond]

 _~ No, you're wrong, we still love her_

 _~ And we're always thinking of her_

 _~ Don't you know I miss her too...?_

 _~ And tell me..._

While singing, Red knelt down to Blue and held her hands as she turned away in shame in thinking that she was nothing like Pink Diamond. Red then let go before standing up and walking over to the stairs on the other side before grabbing it with her hand and bowing sadly.

 _~ What's the use of feeling?_

 _~ What's the use of feeling?_

 _~ What's the use of feeling...Blue?_

 _~ Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm_

 _~ Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmm_

As she finished singing, Steven, Connie and the gang had made it to the exit but hid behind a pillar anyway just in case. All the while, Blue placed her hand on Red to comfort her while leaving Yellow and Noir in disgust at this.

"Wow...way to ruin the song." Noir spoke in annoyance. Red was about to growl when suddenly, the exit opened up, revealing Pearl and Jade. It wasn't too long before Holly Blue Agate, Ruby and Sapphire walked in. "And we have arrived. That will be all Pearl." Holly spoke as Pearl and Jade walked away.

Holly Blue then lead Sapphire and Ruby towards the Diamonds with Steven and the others frightfully watching. Holly then bowed to her Diamond, oblivious at first to the other ones but soon noticed. "My Diamond. My gracious, wondrous, luminous, lustrous Diamond...sss?" She said as she looked up to see Yellow, Black and Red Diamonds stupidly and gasped.

"Oh my! It's truly an honor to bask in your radiance...ses?" Holly said with excitement, annoying Yellow Diamond in the process. "Get to the point, Agate." She said bluntly. "Yellow, don't you have any manors? Don't mind her, proceed Holly Blue Agate." Red Diamond spoke with a calm voice and allowing Holly Blue to clear her throat.

"Yes, of course. My Precious Diamond. Anyways, Blue Diamond, you'll be pleased to know that your Sapphire has completed your special delivery." Holly Blue explained as she gesturing Sapphire, but gaining the attention of a completely suspicious Blue Diamond. "What special delivery?" Blue asked in confusion.

All the while, the gang gasped quietly behind the pillar. "Oh great, this wasn't thought through." Peridot said frantically. "You think?!" Lapis said quietly but in annoyance. "Um, the special delivery you requested from Earth, of course." Holly Blue said, feeling a little afraid and stupid. "I never asked any Sapphire to go to Earth. Not since..." Blue Diamond said in a serious tone.

Hearing this, Sapphire and Ruby were terrified despite trying to make a good point. "I...Um..." Sapphire started as the floor beneath her froze up because of her cryokinesis. "Oh no! She's freezing up!" Steven said with a panic, quietly. "Yeah, no squat." Imperia whispered in fright.

Ruby then held Sapphires hands behind to comfort her secretly. " _Do not be afraid Sapphire._ " Red Diamond's voice spoke from in the two gems' minds. " _Who? Who is that?_ " Ruby thought in her mind. " _It's Red Diamond speaking of course. I'm going to help your fusing partner calm down, so don't react and let me handle this._ " Red Diamond said before Ruby nodded her head slightly.

"My... future vision foresaw you, my Diamond, desiring more... humans for the zoo, so I... acted accordingly." Sapphire lied, gaining the help of Red Diamond who smiled at her. Holly Blue Agate on the other hand smiled wierdly right before Blue's expression turned back to a sad one. "It's true. The window for preserving Earth specimens is closing." She said as Red comforted her.

"Way to go Sapphire." Bismuth said to herself with relief. "Blegh, well that's revolting. Like I said, why would you keep up this..." Noir started, but was cut off by Yellow Diamond. "Preservation, is that what you want?" Yellow asked Blue before turning to Sapphire. "Shapphire has the Cluster emerged yet?" She asked, hoping it would be yes.

"No it has not." Sapphire said, much to Yellow's annoyance. "And it never will emerge." Peridot said before giving Steven a high five. "Wait...what's the Cluster?" Connie asked with confusion. "A weapon which would have destroyed the Earth, but we bubbled it and now it'll never emerge, so your welcome." Peridot explained, remembering the moment when Steven and her drilled to the Cluster and stopped it.

"Then there's still time...annoyingly. Anyways, that will be all." Yellow said to Blue Diamond before clapping her hands twice. "...For now." Noir growled, scaring her Pearl. "My Diamonds." Holly Blue said before leaving the room with Ruby and Sapphire. " _Go now little one, now's your chance to escape._ " Red Diamond said to Steven through his mind. "Thanks for the help Red Diamond." Steven said.

The door then started to close and the gang managed to slip through it quietly. Well...Bismuth got her hand caught in the door, gaining Drusy Quartz's attention. Steven managed to get one last glimpse of Red Diamond who winked at him before the door completely closed.

* * *

Outside the Room

Steven turned to Connie who looked a little frightened about Holly Blue spotting them, despite being oblivious at this moment. The Blue Agate then breathed out in relief that everything went well. "Four Diamonds?! I can't believe it! Can you believe it? Oh what am I saying? Of course you can. You probably foresaw the whole thing." She said as she walked off with Sapphire following her with Ruby and Pearl following closely behind.

Imperia had herself, Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot turn invisible once more, but Amethyst and Citrine however, stayed back to make sure Steven, Carnelian and Connie were well hidden. "Of course! No surprises here." Sapphire said nervously as the gang walked back through the hallways to the Roaving Eye while secretly sneaking Steven and Connie.

"I never expected to see Yellow, Red and Black Diamonds all in person. What a commanding presence. You can just feel strength and confidence radiating from them." Holly said, going on about the Diamonds and nearly spotting the two kids, but luckily Citrine and Amethyst shapeshifted into their disguises to cover them.

"Don't misunderstand me, of course. I'll always be in Palantine's confidence, but if I had been made for Aureolin, Scarlet or Noir, you wouldn't see me complaining." The Agate went on, seriously annoying Bismuth and Peridot.

As the group made it back to the entrance, the Amethysts noticed what Citrine and Amethyst were doing and didn't do anything to stop them now that they knew that the crystal gem Amethyst was their sister. "I do hope they appreciate all my hard work to preserve the Pink Diamond legacy. It would really make it worth being stationed here with these sorry excuses for Gems. Oh! It's a shame though. This outpost is so remote, I was beginning to think we'd been forgotten." While Speaking, Holly Blue never even noticed the gang secretly sneaking Connie to the Roaming Eye as Imperia and the others turned visible again.

"But we haven't! Four Diamonds...one day! What an honor. I don't think anything could spoil this for me." Holly Blue said before another gem gained her attention and revealing to be Drusy Quartz who was followed by Bloodstone. "Holly? Sorry for interupting, but I think you were decieved by that Sapphire and..." Drusty started speaking, but cut off by Holly.

"Oh please, that's no way to speak to a Sapphire." She said in annoyance. "You don't understand, I saw them with two young humans, a Lapis from Blue Diamond's court and a Bismuth." Bloodstone tried explaining in annoyance, which only caused Holly Blue Agate to laugh. "Oh you stupid Bloodstone. That young Sapphire hasn't been lying to me all day, plus look for yourself, there's no Bismuth of any sorts amoungst them." She said as she gestured the gems while turning towards them, soon to be proven wrong Because once she turned to them, she immediately spotted the gang with Steven and Connie trying to board the Roaming Eye. The gang were absolutely mortified, knowing the jig was up, all the while, Steven and Connie nervously laughed. "Uh oh..." Lapis said nervously, not noticing Peridot going somewhere.

"What...is...THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Holly Blue Agate screamed in rage, causing all the Quartz guards to look through the doorway with a fright. "Ugh, now she gets it." Bloodstone groaned followed by Drusy Quartz slapping her forehead. "Why are these two young ones outside the containment area?!" Holly asked angrily, pointing at the two kids.

"Holly Blue, I can explain..." Sapphire started, but cut off by the Agate. "No need your clarity. Not even you could have foreseen how incompetent these Amethysts are." Holly Blue stated, glaring at the Quartzes who secretly helped the gang. "Or better yet, how much of a pack of lies will get you into trouble." Drusy said while glaring at Bismuth, Ruby, Pearl and Sapphire.

"Well then, if you want something done right, you just do it yourself." Holly Blue said as she summoned a blue electric whip. Drusy then summoned two knuckle dusters and prepared to fight her enemies, thus making Steven and Connie very nervous without the help of Rose's sword. "You two, are coming with me!" Holly Blue said as she launched her whip towards Steven and Connie, to grab them and put them back in their place. But luckily, Ruby and Sapphire re-fused into Garnet who single handedly managed to catch the whip's tail.

Upon seeing Garnet, Holly Blue Agate and the quartz soldiers all gasped. But Bloodstone and Drusy Quartz weren't surprised, judging what Bismuth told the gang. "Garnet!" Steven and Connie said with amazement. "Steven, get Connie on board!" Garnet ordered, wanting to keep Connie safe. "But I wanna help you guys!" Connie said, only to be pushed onboard by Lapis.

"I'll take care of her, Connie don't worry, they can handle this." Lapis said as she got the two kids onto the plane. "Don't worry, we'll handle this noise." Garnet said, putting on her visor. With her spear, Pearl then sliced the whip in half before Amethyst, Carnelian and Citrine took hold of it and used their dash abilities to wrap it all around Holly while being cheered by their cousins in the background.

After the three sisters were finished, Garnet then came up to the agate. "I've been waiting to do this all day." She said as she summoned her gauntlet as a threat but managed to punch Holly Blue in the stomach with her weaponless hand, causing her to fall over with the quartzes laughing. "What are you all doing?! They're traitors! Destroy them!" Holly Blue ordered, but every single Quartz ignored her.

"I'll handle this Holly, besides, I've been waiting to take them out for a very. Long. Time!" Drusy Quartz said before charging at the gems, only to be stopped by Bismuth and her hammer. "Yeah...same here Druse Master!" The Rainbow gem yelled, challenging her former ally to a battle. "I don't go by that name anymore, Bismuth!" Drusy yelled before attempting to attack.

Pearl, Garnet Amethyst, Carnelian and Citrine were then caught up with Fighting Bloodstone. However, because of Bloodstone's mist transformation, it was pretty hard to fight her. " ** _Well, well, well...Looks like we've got a couple of traitors to take care off. Well...easier done than said._** " Bloodstone spoke, summoning her gembreaking weapon and gaining Bismuth's attention. "Hey, that's my idea! You copied off me!" Bismuth yelled, punching Drusy in the stomach without even looking at her.

Bloodstone then managed to phase through the gems all at once, weakening them in the process. " ** _Right...that's you lot out of the way, now then...Back to the zoo with the pair of you kids!_** " She said before advancing towards Steven and Connie. Lapis tried defending the two kids with her Hyrdokinesis, but even she was weakened a little. Bismuth, having seen this, then reached into Drusy's hair before pulling out a few crystaline star like crystals.

"Hey Garnet, heads up!" Bismuth called before tossing a star to Garnet who figured that since she was fighting a losing battle against Bloodstone, she needed a bit of a boost to help her. She then caught the crystal star before putting her thumbs up in approval. (6)"STAR POWER, SYNCHRONIZE!" Garnet yelled before crushing the star crystal with her two gems. Upon doing so, Garnet triggered a transformation which changed her and her two gems, leaving star patterns upon them.

Once the transformation was complete, Garnet had a new look for herself. Her visor was a little more see-through with her three eyes visable, he hand were huge like Bismuth's arms, she wore a headband which kept the rest of her new fluffy hair back, he skin colour was very different and she was glowing...litterally. The quartzes, Imperia, Jade and everyone else were amazed by Ganret's new appearance, even Steven and Lapis.

"Woah...now _that's_ incredible!" Connie said with amazement as she saw Garnet take out Drusy without even touching her. " _ **Ugh, why do you miserable rebels even use fusion anyways? It's a crime to fuse with a different gem.**_ " Bloodstone said cunningly. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, I don't think you have any idea what we're capable of." Garnet said before charging her power and aiming at Bloodstone who was immediately poofed and went back into her gemstone and thrown against the wall. "Don't ever understimate the power of Love." As she spoke, Garnet then reverted back to her normal form before hearing an applause of Quartz Soldiers who cheered her on as she walked back to the Roaming Eye.

Holly Blue Agate then suddenly tried her luck with attacking the gems, but luckily Bismuth headbutted her hardly on her forehead even after getting so many hits from the Agate herself. Holly then stumbled backwards before she looked at the Quartzes, hoping for them to help.

Hovever, What Holly Blue saw was nothing like she had expected, all of the quartz soldiers were saying thier goodbyes to the Crystal Gems, Amethysts, Jaspers, Citrines and even the old crystal gem quartz soldiers all bid the gang farewell. Even Steven and Connie waved to them. "Famethyst for life!" Amethyst said after smooching. "Hey girls! If you all évair need a place to come to, zen Airth eez la placé to come! Citrine called out to her own sisters before she and Amethyst boarded the Roaming Eye together, hand in hand.

"I'll report you to the Diamonds! All of you! Even you, Lapis Lazuli! You'll all be shattered!" Holly Blue threatened as she got loose from her whip. "You're really gonna tell the Diamonds that you, Drusy Quartz and Bloodstone allowed a band of traitorous rebels to infiltrate a highly secure facility and escape from right under your careful watch?" Pearl asked rhetorically after walking over and kneeling in front of her enemy as she inhailed sharply. "Doesn't sound like a wise thing to do, Holly Blue." She continued, making the Agate lose her touch.

"Yeah, especially when you hurt someone for not surpressing their feelings. Speaking of which, I could use them on you...I could get so stressed, upset, angry and unleash my power upon you...but I won't...you've already got your fate." Lapis said, appearing beside Pearl and actually confronting Holly for the first time in years.

"So do yourself a favor and keep your mouth _shut_. That will be all." Pearl said as she and Lapis boarded the Roaming Eye right before it took off. And once on it, Pearl bowed while Lapis clapped Twice. Upon hearing this, Holly Blue then groaned in defeat while every other Quartz laughed at her.

Before getting in the ship however, Drusy then noticed Steven's gem and immediately recognised it as she gained his attention. "You think you know who you are Rose? No...I know who you really are...Just you wait, I'll be back to get you all!" The sparkiling quartz threatened as the docking door closed.

The gang then flew the Roaming Eye back to Earth, not noticing the Diamond ships behind them apart from Imeria who saw them. From her view, Yellow Diamond's ship was similar to Blue Diamond's Arm ship, Red Diamond's was a huge leg and Black Diamond's ship was in the shape of a huge skull. "Nah, not my type of ships." She said to herself before turning back to the gang who were laughing at their success.

"I can't believe you came to rescue me! Thank you so much for coming to get me Steven, all of you in fact. That has to be, like, the craziest weekend I've ever had." Connie said, grateful for the gang coming to her aid as they all watched as the zoo got further away from their view. "You're welcome kiddo, and we'll be a lot safer once we get back to Earth." Bismuth said, stroking Connie's hair as Jade set the course for Earth.

All the while, Steven went up to Connie and felt bad for everything he put her through. "Connie, I'm really sorry I got you involved in all this. This whole thing started 'cause I wanted answers...a lot of 'em to." Steven said appologetically for what he did. Upon hearing his apology, Connie then turned to Steven with a smile and hugged him. "Hey, you don't have to be sorry about a thing. I was kind of stupid for going up to Blue Diamond...but did you find what you were looking for?" Connie said before asking the question. "I did: I found you." Steven said, hugging Connie back before feeling her peck his cheek slightly, causing the two kids to blush.

"Hey Amy, why don't you and Citrine try these? But use them wisely, last time Ruby abused them she stayed in her gem for a whole year." Bismuth said, handing Amethyst and Citrine two star crystals each. "What are they?" Steven asked before he and Connie were given the answer. "They're called Star crystals. The give gems the star power, it's very rare but very dangerous using one." Pearl explained with a smirk.

"Wow...so those things are real. I thought Peridot would be the one to explain that part, but nevermind..." Lapis said before realising that Peridot wasn't amongst the gang. "Wait...where's Peri? I could have sworn she was..." Bismuth started as everyone looked around, only to hear something beside the Roaming Eye.

Looking out the window, the gang saw Peridot and Carnelian, who decided to join the gang, after stealing the Foot ship that she had wanted to try out since they first got to the zoo. Everyone was shocked to see Peridot get away with stealing the ship but they were mainly focused on what Peridot said on the window: _SORRY, I COULDN'T RESIST._

"Couldn't resi...Ugh, classic Peridot." Jade said before laughing. "Alright, hang on everyone, 'cause we're heading home." As she continued speaking, Jade then used the gravity engine once more and warped back to Earth along with Peridot's Foot Ship.

* * *

Back on Earth

The Roaming Eye and the Foot Ship land on the Beach just outside of Steven's home where the rest of the Crystal Gems were waiting sheepishly.

The gang then walked out onto the beach where Connie felt a relief just steping onto the sand. "Am I glad to be back on this beach. Sure the Zoo was good...but yeah, I think this place suits me even more." She said as the rest of the gang came up to Garnet and Pearl.

"So how'd it go?" Sphal asked. "It went pretty good. There were tons of Quartz gems in the zoo who helped us escape." Amethyst explained with excitement. "So how were things on your end?" Bismuth then asked, causing the survivors to gasp in shock.

On the hill where the lighthouse was, the gems looked in annoyance as they saw that most of Beach City was wrecked because of vandalism by the gang. "Ok, who's idea was it to do that?" Bismuth said in demand. The gems then pointed at Variscite who was offended by the gang turning on her.

"Right, that's it Vari. Obviously we're going to have to get you to do 100 hours of community service!" Pearl said in annoyance before dragging her to Mayor Dewy's office for her punishment of messing up.

At that moment, Greg appeared on the top of the hill, catching his breath as his own son and Connie came over to him. "We're back now Dad. It took a lot longer than I thought, but we did it." Steven said with a smile. "Anyways, your Dad asked where you were Connie, so I told him you were off in the woods somewhere, I thought he didn't believe me at first...but he did." Upon being scared of the possibility of Doug finding out, the two kids then sighed in relief before laughing it off.

"Right...I think I could do with a snack." Steven said before he and Connie walked back to his the house for the day along with Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth and Carnelian. They figured they were out of trouble for now, but not forever.

* * *

 **(1) Stitch Cameo**

 **(2) Reference to I Am My Mom (Only in an AU)**

 **(3) If anyone's wondering, I decided to call Jade, Nephrite. Mainly because she'll accept that name later on in the series.**

 **(4) Familiar indeed Steven.**

 **(5) Reference to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)**

 **(6) Behold, the Star Power: Capable of Transforming a gem like a Ruby, Sapphire, Quartz or other gems into hyperactive forms and also giving them new abilities. The powers don't last very long though and they usually wear off when least expected.**

 **Anyways, that's the whole arc finished with**

 **Feel free to comment your thoughts on this story and I hope to see you next time**

 **Negaboss2000 Out ^^**


	9. Storm in the Room

**Greetings once again from Negaboss2000**

 **Here's the next story, and finally...we're about to see Steven confront Rose Quartz**

 **Enjoy and feel free to comment your thoughts ^^**

* * *

 **Storm in the Room**

In Steven's home

It was getting pretty late, pretty much after the whole Zoo rescue mission. The rest of the gems were out with fixing the town after Variscite's stupid advice with only Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot and Carnelian looking after Connie and Steven.

"Thank you so much for coming to rescue me once again, Steven." Connie said thankfully with a smile. "No problem. I was actually so worried about what would happen, I fought though everything, the humans' obsession, those Amethysts who helped us and even Bloodstone. But at least those Amethyst helped us and now we're back, safe and sound." Steven said while he and Connie sat on the bed. There was a bit of a moment between the two kids as they blushed a little.

The moment was then ruined by Carnelian who appeared out of nowhere. "BANZAI!" She yelled as she bounced on the bed with excitement, causing the two kids to fall off the bed and onto the couch. They could have been angry at their new ally, but they actually laughed it off with the red quartz.

"I hope the other gems didn't have a hard time with rescuing me." Connie said as she looked towards Bismuth who was cleaing the tip of the breaking point. "Nah, nothin's too hard for the Crystal Gems to handle, right Lapis?" The rainbow gem spoke, looking over at Lapis. "But I'm not a Crystal Gem...am I?" Lapis spoke, barely glancing over to Bismuth before looking out the window at the sunset.

Peridot then looked over to her friend with shock. "Lapis...look whatever Holly Blue Agate said to you at the zoo..." She started, but only to be cut off by the blue gem who smiled at her. "It's ok Peri, I'm fine...it's just...it's nothing." Lapis said before eaning a hug from her little green friend. "Well anyways, I hope the gems will come back to see me off." Connie said, undoing her ponytail much to her own regret.

"Well...I think they said it'll take them a while. Didn't you see how many stuff was actually Variscite's fault?" Steven said, recalling all the damage which was caused. "Oh Connie, that reminds me, I managed to recover your clothes. It took a while, but I found em." Peridot said as she handed Connie her phone.

"Thanks Peridot, hmm, I think I'd better call my mom, Just in case she found out I was missing. Also, Garnet called for her come get me after." Connie said after gaining her phone back. She then dialed on her phone and called her mom, hoping she would pick up.

Unfortunately, she was sent through to her mother's voicemail. " _You've reached Doctor_ _Priyanka_ _Maheswaran. Please leave a message. And if you're one of my patients, you shouldn't have this number!_ " The voice mail said, making Connie feel a little curious. "She's not answering." She said before Steven appeared behind.

"Well...Look on the bright side! Now we can hang out a little longer, and I'm sure she'll show up eventually." Steven suggested as everyone in the room apart from Connie agreed. "I don't know...I mean I don't want to impose, I mean, you must have a lot to think about after the space adventure we had. That choosening circle, and all that stuff about the Diamonds, Bloodstone, Drusy Quartz and your mom? I'd understand if you need some space from me...especially since I ignored you back at the palanquin." Connie said, feeling bad for something she couldn't have known about.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, space is the last thing I need right now." Steven said with a smile. "Ok then! What do you guys wanna do?" Connie asked, causing the gems to think for a while.

* * *

Hours later

It was dark outside, but the gang didn't mind as they were currently playing a game after so many other games like a 1500 zebra puzzle and a strange one called Cosmic Engagement, but this game seemed strange in Bismuth's opinion, but she went along with it anyway.

"The last word is a noun" Steven said. "Umm, Multi-hulled watercraft." Connie replied with a slight hint of worry. "Ok, here it goes. _The wiggly baker baked some new wacky pastries. There were snail puffs, Lawn mower pies, and entrippy muffins, everyone was so fuzzy that they ate everything! Even the cheese caked shaped like a multi-hulled watercraft!_ " Steven said before laughing with Lapis and Carnelian, Connie still felt a little worried as she kept thinking of her mom but even she thought it was a little funny and laughed.

"You know...it's weird. My mom always answers her phone." Connie stated, just even thinking about it. "Well...if you want, how about I give you a ride home on Lion?" Steven offered. "Or I could fly you home." Lapis suggested with a smile. "It's not getting home I'm worried about! What if she shows up here and we're gone? What if she's out in the world looking for me after I got abducted?!...What am I saying? We should probably stay put until she comes." Connie said with a few nervous thoughts.

"Well, while we're still waiting for her, how about another weird word game?" Steven suggested with a goofy face. "Ok." Connie said in response. "Alright! Let's see what we got here. The first one is an adjective." Steven said, looking at a few blank spaces on the notepad.

"Accidental." Connie said as Steven wrote it down. "And the next one's a noun." He said, awaiting a noun from his friend. "Mishap." She replied nervously as Steven wrote it down. "Adverb?" The young boy asked with a little bit of concern. "Unexpectedly!" Connie replied with a frightened voice, even gaining Bismuth's attention. "Past tense verb?" Steven asked with concern. "Crashed!" Connie said frightfully as Steven continued to write the words down. "Noun?" Steven said slowly. "Explosion!" Connie said frightfully.

Steven finished the whole thing until it said the following:

 _The Case of the Accidental Mishap_

 _One day a message unexpectedly arrived at my door. When I finished reading it, I just crashed. There was a big explosion causing trouble downtown._

It didn't make sense in a way, but it did tell the gang that Connie was frightened. "You're really worried about your mom, huh kiddo?" Bismuth asked, placing her hand on Connie's shoulder. "Yeah, it's just...she's never late for anything." Connie said before trying to calm down by meditating and taking deep breaths.

"Cool ritual...me and the girls used to do the same thing, well slightly different." Bismuth stated with a smile. This made Connie feel a bit better despite her worry, but then she found her phone missing. "Wait...where's my phone? I could have sworn I..." She started, only to be cut off when she saw Peridot looking at it.

The little green gem was currently looking through all the photos Connie had on her phone before then turning her attention to the contacts. "Hm, ok...let's see who we got here. Mom, heh, she reminds me of Yellow Diamond. Dad, wow...he looks pathetic. Jeff? Oh yeah, that kid Connie accidently beat up. Zach Connors, I thought that guy was with that Bully? Aunt Ina, you never told me you had an aunt Connie. Granny Sonia, _my beloved granny._ Oh hello...who do we have here?" Peridot said aloud, reading all the contacts and viewing their pictures.

One of the contacts however, gained her interests. "Steven...did you have any other family besides your mother and Greg?" Peridot asked, immediately making Connie get to her feet in fright. "Uh no, why?" Steven asked in confusion. "Well, one of Connie's contacts has a name which has the same last name as y..." But before Peri could finish, Connie snatched her phone back.

"Hey! I was reading that you clod!" Peridot said in annoyance. "Then maybe you should learn not to snoop around other people's things." Connie replied while glaring at Peridot. She then sighed before turning to Steven. "Am I ok to use your shower Steven?" Asking this was a first Connie, but Steven nodded his head and allowed her to use the bathroom.

After what happened, Steven couldn't blame Connie. Neither of them wanted to tell Priyanka about her own daughter being abducted by Aliens and being put in a Zoo. The others looked as she went into the bathroom with concern. "Woah...what's up with her?" Carnelian asked with confusion. "She's...a little worried for her own mother's safety." Bismuth replied.

Hearing the word mother, Steven then looked up at the portrait of his own mother, thinking about all the wonderfuly things about who she was and what she did in the past. But in light of the new info he got from Eyeball, Jasper, Holly Blue and Drusy Quartz, he felt like those wonderful things were now falling apart.

Once inside the bathroom, Connie ran a shower for herself, also taking off the earrings she got from the zoo. "What was I thinking? Going up to Blue Diamond? Maybe Steven's mad at me for doing that." She said to herself sadly before stepping into the shower to wash herself.

A few moments later in the living room, Steven decided to warm up some food for himself and Connie after he changed out of his Zoo outfit. "Thanks again for letting me stay late and for the food, I guess I got a little peckish after the Zoo." Connie said gratefully. "You're welcome." Steven said with a smile.

He then noticed the portrait of his mother again before deciding to go outside with Connie despite the night sky. "Uh...Steven...are you sure you wanna be out here at night?" Peridot asked nervously. "Yeah, we'll be back inside in a few moments." Steven said as he sat at the outside table and prepared to eat.

"Hmm...somthing's bothering him. Lapis, can you do something to get Steven back in here?" Peridot said before turning to Lapis. "Sure." The blue gem said before using a different form of her power, causing it to rain. "Oh no...It's raining." Connie said with a sad voice. "Ah don't worry Connie, it could be worse." Steven said, and right on cue, Lapis snapped her fingers, causing a huge storm to brew up.

The two kids then got frightened and soaked enough to go back inside and eat their food there. "Nice job Lapis." Peridot whispered before secretly hi-fiving Lapis. There was then an awkward silence for a while before Steven sighed after looking at the painting of Rose once more. "You know, sometimes I wonder if it's even you up there, smiling all day and night." Steven said to himself, gaining everyone's attention.

"I just want to know the real you. Not the you that everyone tells me about. I just want to know the truth." Steven spoke with that desire for answers about his mother. Suddenly, Steven's gem started glowing before the temple door activated, opening his mother's room. Feeling like this was an opportunity for the truth, Steven then went over to the temple door along with Connie, Peridot and Lapis.

"Hey Carnelian, why don't you stay here? Entertain yourself but don't break anything, ok?" Bismuth said before catching up with the gang. "Ok...wait. What's break?" Carnelian said to herself in confusion.

* * *

In Rose's Room

The gang stepped inside right before the door closed on them from the outside. "Wow...I didn't know Rose had this kind of room." Bismuth said with amazment. "Oh there's a lot of stuff she owned, we'll tell you later." Peridot said before turning to Steven.

"Uh, Hey Room. It's been a while huh? Is that a new cloud?" Steven said, laughing nervously. "Steven...I'm not sure if being here is a good idea. I mean the last time me and you were in here, a crazy clone of me tried to kill...nevermind." Connie said before dismissing what she was about to say.

"Anyways...I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, sure I know nothing in here is real but...I wanna see my Mom." Steven said, explaining his wish. "Uh...I don't think that'll work Steven, mainly because..." Peridot started, but was soon proven wrong when a cloud appeared out of nowhere and formed a familiar figure, Rose Quartz herself. Upon seeing this cloud version of Rose, Steven blushed, and the rest of the gang were shocked that it was possible.

Rose then walked up to Steven before kneeling down to his height. "Hello Steven." Rose said, causing Steven to get a little nervous. "Um...it's nice to finaly meet you." He said, extending his hand to shake Rose's who did the same. "It's nice to meet you too." She said, laughing cheerfully as she shook Steven's hand before turning her attention to the others.

"Hello again Bismuth, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" Rose said to Bismuth before hugging her and catching her off guard. "H..Hey Rose...Yeah, it's been a long time. You still look good." The rainbow gem complemented sheepishly, trying not to mention about their falling out. All the while, Peridot and Lapis looked at each other, concerned about Steven and if something would happen to him in the room.

"Oh, who do we have here?" Rose said, catching the two gems off guard. "Lapis Lazuli, I haven't seen you since you helped to terraform some parts of Earth." She continued, hugging the blue terraformer who felt a little unconfortable being around the rebel leader. "Um...Hi." Lapis said sheepishly.

"And who have we got here? A short Peridot, how cute." Rose said upon noticing Peridot. "I'm actually an Era 2 Peridot, mainly because Homeworld is getting low on resources." The little green gem spoke upon being called cute. Peridot was then stroked on her hair by Rose.

"Hello...I'm Connie Maheswaran, Steven's friend." Connie said when Rose turned in her direction and kneeled down to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Connie." She said, shaking her hand as Steven sheepishly looked away. "S...Sorry, this is pretty weird for me, well all of us anyway." He said, laughing nervously.

"That's ok, don't worry about it. So, what do you all wanna do first?" Rose said before asking. "Oh, uh...I guess I hadn't thought that far ahead." Steven said with a chuckle. "Obviously." Peridot whispered with a snicker before earning a slap from Bismuth. "Do...you like video games?" Steven asked before a gaming console appeared with two controllers much to the gang's surprise.

The game was called Lonely Arms which involved some form of Arm Wrestling, somewhat amazing Bismuth upon her seeing it. "Wow...if Biggs saw this, I tell ya, she'd be beatin' me into the ground." The Rainbow gem stated with amazment. "So tell me about this game Steven." Rose said with curiosity about the game. "Well... I guess it's an arm wrestling simulator, which is kind of a spinoff of a fighting game. Based on a lonely swordsman that I like. It's kinda weird and hard to explain, but that's why I like it." Steven explained to Rose despite Peridot's grumbling on Camp Pining Hearts being better.

Steven and Rose then played the game with Connie supporting Steven and Bismuth supporting Rose, unfortunately Rose lost the game and Steven won, but that didn't stop her from smiling whatsoever. "Yay, I won!" Steven said with excitement as he and Connie cheered alongside him. "Yay, you won." Rose said as Bismuth groaned with her head litterally in a cloud. "Ugh, 5300 years later and Rose still loses." She said before chuckling a little.

"Hmm, what else do kids do with their parents?" Steven said to himself before the room provided a solution and created a football. Steven grabbed the football as Rose came over and looked Steven in the eye.

After getting an idea, Steven, Rose and the others decided to play a game where they had to catch the football. It was absolutely fun for them and even Lapis admitted she was having fun. When Rose threw the ball to Steven, he single handedly managed to catch it. "Nice catch son." Rose called over as she put her thumb up to him. "Yeah, that was really amazing how you did that." Connie complemented.

"This is fun. Or would baseball be better?" Steven said before throwing the football to his mother as it flew high into the air. "I vote for baseball." Lapis said with a smile. "I'd still go with this... _football_." Peridot stated sheepishly. ""Steven, Peridot, Lapis, All sports are beautiful. Each one is a unique experience. The adrenaline, the glory. The sheer feats of athleticism, each one of them so complicated. And yet,exactly the same." Rose said while running along the room before catching the football and decended gently towards the ground.

The way Rose spoke ad amazed the gang. "That's what inspired me to join the crystal gems..." Bismuth stated with awe. "Hey Steven!" Rose called over to the young boy as he saw his own mother holding down the football for him to kick. "You know Connie, I always thought there was something strange about my adolescence. So maybe this is what I've been missing." Steven said to himself in realisation. "And what's that Steven?" Connie asked in confusion.

"Football!" Steven said, giving Connie the answer before running towards the football to kick it. However, before he could, Rose lifted it away at the last second, causing the young boy to miss the ball and sent him flying into the air. "Whooa!" He yelped before falling to the ground as everyone laughed with Steven and his mother. "Touchdown!" He said before Connie lay down beside him. "I don't understand this." Peridot said in confusion. "What's there to get? Besides, I've seen the true nature of Rose Quartz in one day." Lapis stated with a smile.

"Everyone." Rose called to the gang before pattng the floor around her for the gang to sit on. The gang then sat down in a circle with her. "I've been...uh thinking about you a lot. More than usual in fact." Steven said sheepishly. "Is that so?" Rose asked with her same smile.

"Yeah, well...for my whole life, I've been hearing stories about you, a lot of them. About how amazing you were. That you were so kind and loving. And every time I'd see the painting hanging of you in the temple, you inspired and reminded of how much I wanted to live up to you." Steven said, telling his own mother everything about his life up to this day.

"It's true, he inspired a lot of us Rose. He managed to inspire Peridot who used to be evil from what I heard off of Pearl, Lapis, who decided to stay on Earth to see it's beauty, a Nephrite Captain who he managed to uncorrupt and help her and her two crew members. Then we also looked after an Imperial Topaz and your old pal Citrine." Bismuth explained, telling Rose about the other events that happend with the gang over the months. "Aw, that's so sweet of you all. Helping lost gems, if only I could see them in person." Rose said, proud of using her inspiration to help others.

"Mainly...it's all thanks to your words of wisdom Rose." Peridot said with an honest smile. "Also...I've even thought about dying my hair pink. More than once." Steven said with a laugh as Rose stroked his hair while laughing. "There's nothing wrong with your hair. It's wonderful just the way it is. Wonderful in every way, Just like you." Rose said once more before Steven lay down across her as she hugged him.

Connie litterally adored the way Rose stroked Steven, it also caused him the young boy to blush in satisfaction. "Wow...this is nice...it's...it's really nice. I...I should have tried this a long time ago." Steven said thinking about all the other times he came into his mother's room as he teared up at the thought.

"But Steven, don't you realise? We've been together this whole time." Rose purred sweetly as Steven looked in her direction. "It's true, if you have the gem, then Rosie's among us." Bismuth said with a smile while the others strangely teared up because of this happy moment between the young boy and his mother. "Oh! Yeah, that's...that's right." He said before sniffling and letting a single tear come down before getting an idea.

"Oh, this is the first time we've hung out together. I gotta capture this moment!" Steven said before taking out his phone as the gang got in position for a selfie, but to Steven's shock however...he saw only himself, Bismuth, Connie, Peridot and Lapis. No signs of Rose or any of the clouds in the photo. "There's nothing here but me and the others. I'm just...talking to myself..." Steven said sadly before getting to his feet.

"Same thing on this phone, maybe there's a glitch in the phones?" Connie said as she checked her phone which held the same results as Steven's phone. "Nothing's wrong with them, that kind of stuff wouldn't work in this room." Peridot stated. "Shame...I would have liked to show the others." Bismuth said.

"You're not my mom." Steven said aloud, shocking the gang upon them hearing those exact words from him. "I'm not?" Rose asked sadly. "No...well you are but...this is how I wanted you to be. But I don't know if this is who you really are." Steven said, not daring to look his own mother in the eye.

"I've learend things about you. A lot of things that you wanted to keep secret." Steven said without his usual happy voice. At that moment, the room suddenly started to grow dark with a hint for fear within. Lapis got a little scared upon seeing this and quickly grabbed Peridot. Bismuth was also nervous as looked around frantically. "Uh...Steven?" Connie said, unsettled by the dark atmosphere of the dark room.

"You locked Bismuth away inside of Lion because she wanted to shatter Gems, and you never told Garnet or Pearl." Steven said, remembering what Bismuth told him that night at the forge. This in turn, made Rose feel sad...terrifyingly sad and it gained Bismuth's attention.

" _Oh, but I didn't just disappear, did I?! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!_ "

" _LIARS! BOTH OF YOU! Don't even start to play games with me, Rose. We were both right HERE. I offered you the secret to victory, and you refused. The Breaking Point would've changed everything._ "

" _It's too late, five thousand and three hundred years to late! I don't believe you anymore! Nor will I ever again!_ "

" _All that talk about how Gems could take control of their own identities, how we'd been convinced to ignore our own potential? That's all it was, wasn't it Rose?! Just talk!_ "

" _You should've listened to me, Rose! I could've taken the war to Homeworld and shatter the Diamonds! I would've liberated...EVERYONE ON HOMEWORLD!_ "

Remembering all of those exact words she said to Steven made Bismuth feel absolutely guilty and very afraid. "Steven...It's not true...You know I said...I..." Bismuth never got to finish as she choked up in realisation that she couldn't take back what she said, especially when Steven talked over her. "...But then you shattered Pink Diamond! Now all of Homeworld has it out for Earth, and the Crystal Gems and Connie, and me! You put every one us in danger, and then you just...DISAPPEARED!" He said in absolute anger.

In that dark moment, thunder started rumbling and lightning struck different places within the room, thus causing a lot of wind to blow as Rose got to her feet. Everyone else was knocked back because of the force of the wind, Lapis tried flying against it, but she couldn't beat the wind with her wings. "It's too strong, I can't fly against the wind!" Lapis cried out in pain.

"STEVEN! Your emotions are affecting the room! Try to keep...!" Connie Started, making her way towards her Jam-Bud before Bismuth stopped her in her tracks. "No, let me! I think I can get through to him, stay with Lapis and Peridot!" The rainbow gem said before pushing against the storm.

Connie tried to help, but Peridot kept her back just in case. "I finally know the truth! I know what you are! YOUR'E A LIAR! I thought you'd never want to hurt anyone! But you hurt EVERYONE! How could you just leave Garnet, and Amethyst and Pearl and Citrine, a...and Dad?! They don't know what to do without you!" Steven yelled up to Rose as he got to his feet in rage, oblivious to Bismuth coming to him from behind.

"Maybe they didn't matter to you as much as hiding the mess you made! And that's why I'm here, isn't it?! Did you just make me so you just wouldn't have to deal with your mistakes?!" Steeven continued, yelling up towards his own mother. "STEVEN! YOU'RE WRONG!" Bismuth's voice called from behind, causing Steven to angrily turn towards Bismuth.

"If Rose had mistakes, she'd deal with them! There's no way she'd run from them!" The rainbow gem said, but it didn't make a difference. "Oh...so now I'm a liar now right?! Says the hollow-minded gem who nearly killed Connie!" Steven spat venomously at Bismuth who was shocked by his sudden change of language as well as Connie and the others. "Steven...you know I..." Steven harshly cut Bismuth off, losing his mind over the lies of his own mother.

"You know what?! You're not like Rose Quartz, you're no better than her!" He growled as his eyes turned Pink with slit pupil-like diamonds in them. Hearing that insult, Bismuth then became furious. "So that's it huh?! Now we're back to square one, just like that night!" She growled before summoning her mallet. "Guys, the room's playing tricks on us!" Connie yelled, trying to stop the fight as she placed herself in front of Steven. "Stay out of this Connie!" The young boy growled before shoving her out the way and summoned his shield, only something was off...

This wasn't Steven's shield, rather, it was two disk-like shields which had were both pink and had hollyhock symbols on them. "Steven...what's...?" Peridot said to herself as she saw the two disks before the young boy threw one of them at Bismuth, instantly knocking her off her feet before she blocked the second disk.

"Grr! You little pebble! I shoulda BROKE YOU that night at the forge!" Bismuth roared before attacking Steven who had his shield up. All the while, the others were too frightened to interfere with the argument and Rose...she looked down upon the two sadly. "Well f you like shattering so much, then go ahead! Finish what you started!" Steven spat angrily, dropping his defence to allow Bismuth to break his gem.

"Fine! By! Me!" Bismuth yelled, de-summoning her mallet and shapeshifting her hand into an axe before charging towards Steven. "Steven! What are you doing?!" Lapis screamed in shock before attempting to fly over towards her friend, but couldn't because of the wind. Connie then attempted running over to Steven and succeeded. "NOO!" Connie said as she placed herself in front of Bismuth's rampage.

Connie squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to feel Bismuth slice through her...but when she opened her eyes...the rainbow gem didn't, her axe arm was inches away from her stomach and didn't even touch it, in fact, her hand shook over the thought. "Connie...?" Steven said in shock seeing that Bismuth would have hurt Connie if she had continued.

Realising the consequence in horror, Bismuth then shapeshifted her hand back to normal before Connie fell on her knees. Bismuth then looked over at Steven before speaking once more. "Steven...this has gotten outta hand." Bismuth spoke calmly despite her trembling voice.

"So what now?! Are you planning on shattering me?! Then go ahead!" Steven yelled, holding up his shirt to reveal his gem for Bismut. The Rainbow gem looked towards Connie who had tears streaming from her eyes before her attention turned to a very concerned Lapis and an angered Peridot. "No! I won't! This is wrong, and you know it. It's like you said: _Nobody deserves this_!...Doesn't...doesn't that mean anything to you? What about Connie, or Lapis, or Peridot, or everyone you ever knew or love? Don't they matter?" Bismuth said before asking Steven something important as the storm died down.

Steven then looked at Connie before getting sad. "S...Sorry, I got frustrated..." He said quietly, unable to look anyone in the eye after that outburst. "I...I...am I really here to hide from my mom's mistakes?" He continued as Connie turned towards him, feeling sad that he'd even think that about himself.

At that moment, Rose floated down from the clouds and landed beside Steven and stroked his hair gently. "Steven, you know that isn't true. In the tape I left you, I told you how much I wanted to have you and let you exist. Do you really think what I said in the tape was a lie?" Rose asked, as Steven looked at his mother.

"No...I'm sure, no...I _know_ , you meant it." Steven said sadly as Rose gave him a hug just as it started raining in the room. "And Bismuth...you know I always trusted you. But I didn't lock you away if it wasn't for a good reason. I always knew _why_ you built the breaking point." Rose said, looking over at her friend who looked back at her.

"I get it...You didn't want me dealing with your problems. You're a part of me now. So I've gotta deal with what you left behind." Steven said, hugging his mother tightly, not noticing her tear up despite being a cloud. "I'm so proud of you Steven...I always knew you'd be like me." Rose said before getting closer to his ear and whispering something. " _Take care of **her** for me._" She whispered before disappearing into the clouds.

After that, Connie hugged Steven as the rest of the gang came to his side. "Woah...that was pretty scary." Peridot said, clinging to Lapis' arm in fear as the duo got soaked by the rain. "Ugh! I promised myself I wouldn't get blinded by my judgement!" Bismuth growled in frustration.

"B...Bismuth...?" Steven started to ask, only to be cut off by Bismuth who took a deep breath and calmly talked. "The breaking point wasn't for the Diamonds..." She started, gaining everyone's attention. "Wh...what do you mean?" Connie asked in confusion.

"Maybe it's time I told you why I built the breaking point." Bismuth said before sitting on the floor and explaining.

* * *

 **Bismuth's Story**

 _When I still served homeworld all those years ago_

 _We were given an assignment_

 _To create the biggest monument...no, the biggest building, in honor of homeworld's greatest and flawless leaders, the Diamonds._

 _They expected it to be build by Bismuths, they expected our highest effort for building their legacy..._

 _But we never succeeded with it._

 _There were 35 of us._

 _All Bismuth, special ones, created from the Gamma Kintergarten on Homeworld._

 _But one of us betrayed the entire workforce of Bismuths, ruined the entire build and it came crashing down on top of one of the Diamonds, Pink Diamond to the exact._

 _It was a setup..._

 _For a place in the authority!_

 _30 Bismuths were given a worser punishment than being shattered, five of us were spared, considering we were the best._

 _I know the saboteur wasn't me, I would have known otherwise._

 _So from then on, I abandoned my old life as a builder and flet to Earth to build for the gem elites, became a member of the Crystal Gems once meeting Rose, and after all that, I helped to defend Earth as best as I could._

 _Even though Rose hid me away, I was still set on using the Breaking point. Not because of my hatered for the Diamonds..Mainly because, I was searching for the other four Bismuths. I built the weapon...because I was set on avenging the others..._

 _One of those four was in Yellow Diamond's court._

 **End Story**

* * *

After hearing the whole story, the gang were surprised and started feeling a little sorry for Bismuth in the past. "You mean...all this time, you had that weapon built for some revenge mission?" Peridot asked in shock.

"Yep, I guess you could describe it that way." Bismuth said sadly, looking away in shame. "But do you realise everything you've done in that time? You poofed me, you tried killing Steven and Connie and..." Lapis started angrily but cut off by Steven. "But why would you wanna shatter another Bismuth?" He asked with concern.

Bismuth looked away before answering. "I don't know...I just wanna know _why_ they did it." She said, unsure if it was the right thing to do though. "Well right now...I think we'd better leave." Connie said, feeling like she was going nuts being in the room any longer.

* * *

Outside the temple

The gang exited Rose's room sadly before heading over to the couch and sitting on it. "That was pretty intense huh? I mean, I nearly freaked out when I tried hurting you Connie. I promised I wouldn't and..." Bismuth started, but Connie placed her hand upon Bismuth's.

"Don't say that. It was my own fault for getting in the way." Connie said, finally able to smile a little after calming down. Once the gang started Smiling, a red mist emerged from Steven and Bismuth without them even noticing. The mist exited the house and then went to the side of it. " ** _Curses...Rosie's more stronger than I tought...I must report to Black Diamond at once._** " Bloodstone said, suddenly appearing from the side of the house before flying back to homeworld.

"Hey Steven...I just realised." Connie said as she shook Steven. "What is it?" Steven asked as he looked in her direction. "I think I've gotten over my worries, so the time in your mom's room helped me." Connie said with a smile before hearing something. "Hello?" A female voice said before the gang turned towards the door. "I'm coming in!" Upon opening the door, the voice was revealed to be none other than Connie's mom, Priyanka Maheswaran.

"Mom!" Connie said before running over and hugging her mother. "Mom, what happened? I kept calling but you weren't answering! I was really starting to freak out." Connie admitted worryingly. "The surgery went wrong, and then I had to cover for Dr. Stromberg, again! My phone died, I figured it was one of my patients who stole my charger, I am so sorry Connie." Priyanka explained apologetically. "It's ok Mom. Everything's fine now." Connie said with a smile.

Priyanka then took Connie home as the two kids said their goodbyes to each other before Steven sighed heavily. But at that moment however.

"Hey, Shtoo-ball! Guess who's back from rebuilding the car wash!" A new voice outside said rhetorically before revealing to be Greg as he, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Imperia and Jade entered the house. "And guess who also got you a pizza?" He continued as he set the pizza down on the table and hugged his son. "Dad! Amethyst? Citrine? Garnet? Imperia? Jade? And Pearl too?" Steven said with a newborn smile.

"Well who else did you expect?" Bismuth asked before laughing, causing Steven and the whole family to laugh too. "Oh I nearly forgot, they were all out of pepperoni, so I just got you mushroom instead. I hope that's alright." Greg asked as he hoped Steven wasn't going to get annoyed.

"It's perfect." Steven said before eating a slice. " _Take care of **her** for me._" He thought from the cloud version of Rose. " _Who's **her**? Well...one day I'll find out who mom wanted me to look after._" Steven thought to himself before deciding to enjoy some time with the gems and his dad.

* * *

 **Aaand there we have it**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will be based off the SU Game, Save the Light which could take a while to do, but hopefully it'll be ready**

 **Stay tuned for more chapters and I'll see you soon**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	10. Save the Light - Part 1

**Greetings once again from Negaboss2000**

 **Back with another SU - AOTG 2 chapter, this time it involves the SU Game, Save the Light**

 **And basically, the characters in this story will also be cannon in the future SU Stories too**

 **Either way, I hope you enjoy the story ^^**

* * *

 **Save the Light - part 1**

 _Long ago_

 _There was a powerful weapon_

 _A Prism that could create entire armies of light_

 _It was really bad news_

 _But then..._

 _One day, the Prism was lost!_

 _Never ever to be found again..._

 _Until it was!_

 _By four brave adventurers!_

 _That's us_

 _Garnet_

 _Amethyst_

 _and Pearl_

 _and Me! The Crystal Gems!_

 _But we accidently unleashed the light inside! Wuh oh!_

 _So we travelled all over the world to retrieve each color. It was a really great adventure!_

 _But just when we thought our quest was over...the light turned into a really big, bad monster..._

 _Rawr! Let's fight!_

 _But I told it. " **We don't have to do this! You don't have to be a weapon! You can be anything you want to be!** "_

 _And would you believe it, it didn't want to fight anymore! It's shape started to change, and suddenly it became..._

* * *

Present Day

Beach City, Universe Residence.

"...Me!" Steven said, showing off a light version, which was constructed by the same Prism he and the gems accidently activated in the past, to his friend Connie. Steven had found the Prism in his room and actually forgot he still had it after the adventure, but boy did it bring back memories. "And that's the story of my grate Prism adventure and how I met this dashing fellow...Light Steven." Steven explained with pride.

Light Steven thne waved at Connie happily which amazed her instantly. "Wow...so cool." She said happily. "I know right? Check this out!" Steve said before striking a dashing pose and Light Steven copied the same pose too. "He's got all my moves!" Steven said before he and his light counterpart struck multiple poses to show off to Connie, expecially one pose where Light Steven held Steven up in the air as Connie laughed with amazment. "Wow Steven! He's so great!" Connie complemented.

At that moment however, a mysterious noise rang, causing Light Steven to get a little scared as it retracted it's form. This in turn, caused Steven to fall on the floor, landing bottom first, which hurt a lot. "Ow! Hey, that's not one of my moves!" Steven complained. The Prism then floated towards the door and knocked it open before flying out the house. "Um...that didn't happen when I reactivated it." Steven said, confused on what was happening. "C'mon Steven! Let's go check what it's up to, we might be able to figure something out if we follow it." Connie suggested before Steven nodded in agreement.

"Oh, hang on...I feel like I'm forgetting something...Oh yeah, my Cheeseburger Backpack! I don't leave home without it." Steven said, causing Connie to giggle before he ran up to his bed and grabbing it, putting a lot of essential items inside before heading outside with Connie to catch the Prism.

* * *

Outside the house

The two kids began their search for the Prism after heading down the steps and onto the beach. Steven and Connie started calling out for the Prism while looking in multiple directions at once until Connie managed to spot it. "Steven, I've found it!" She said as Steven ran over to her just in time to see the Prism floating off towards Beach City. "Hey, wait up, lil guy!" Steven said before he and Connie ran after the runaway Prism.

Somehow, the two kids managed to catch up with the Prism before they tried catching it, but because of it being quite small, it kept dodging their grasps before floating off towards the Big Donut. "Hmm, I wonder what it's up to?" Connie said, wondering why the Prism would even head towards the city. "Maybe it wants a donut?" Steven said jokingly, causing Connie to laugh. "Hahahah! Good one Steven. I mean, it's a highly advanced ancient being. But on the other hand, the Big Donut is pretty tasty." She said with ammusement.

The two kids then went over to the Big Donut. Surprisingly though, Sadie and Lars outside on their break. Upon seeing the Prism, Sadie gasped in surprised as it floated past her and along the boardwalk. "Hey Lars, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" She asked Lars who was on his phone with a disinterested attitude. "Uh huh." He said as Sadie looked at him with an annoyed look before she saw Steven and Connie come towards her and her friend. "Yo Steven." Lars said to Steven as he glanced in his direction. "Hey Lars, did you happen to see a magical floating Prism thingy float by here?" Steven asked wthi excitement, but unfortunately, this was the answer he got.

"Nope, nothing out of the ordinary." The teenager said without interest, causing Steven to sigh sadly. "Uh Steven...if your looking for a floating pyramid, it went that way." Sadie said, pointing towards the boardwalk where the Prism floated by. "Thanks Sadie, c'mon Connie!" Steven said before the two kids ran after the Prism. All the while, Sadie hit Lars on the arm for being totally oblivious. "Ow, what's that for?!" He yelled in annoyance. "For being a jerk, that's what!" Sadie responded with a glare.

Down the board walk, the Prism floated towards the Beach Citywalk Fries and Fish Stew Pizza where Mr Fryman and Kofi were arguing over a pointless question on who was the better child, Kiki or Ronaldo. "...No! I say Kiki is much better than your pathetic son!" Kofi said in annoyance. "Come on, sure your daughter is good, but Ronaldo is better!" Mr Fryman stated. "Daddy can we wrap this up please?" Kiki asked her father with annoyance. "Yeah, I've got theories to check up on Dad." Ronaldo pouted in annoyance. "Oh come on Ronaldo! It's not like you have to go chase some flying pyramid at this moment!" Mr Fryman growled in anger.

At that moment however, the Prism flew in between him and Kofi, gaining their attention in disbelief as it hovered down the boardwalk. "'Scuse me, coming through!" Connie said, chasing the Prism with Steven following behind. "Hi Kiki, hi Ronaldo!" Steven greeted before going after Connie. "Hi Steven." Kiki said with a smile while Ronaldo was amazed at the Prism. "Woah...a floaty Prism! I've gotta get a video of this! See you later Dad!" Ronaldo said, getting out his camera and chasing the two kids and the Prism. "I'll never understand that boy of yours." Kofi said in disbelief.

Over at Funland Arcade, the Prism floated in there and took the owner, Mr Smiley, by surprise when it flew beside him. After that, Steven and Connie ran past him and nearly knocked him over if he hadn't have moved in time. "Phew, kids today..." He said in relief, but Ronaldo suddenly bumped into him and fell over. "Outta the way, I've got a theory to solve mister! _I dunno if you can see this my loyal followers of Keep Beach City Weird, but I am litterally chasing a floating Pyramid!..._ " Ronaldo said before getting back to chasing the Prism...even if it meant breaking a few games along the way.

Eventually, Steven and Connie followed the Prism out of the Arcade and over to Dewey Park, followed by Ronaldo who was chased out of the arcade after his accidental vandalism. Mayor Dewey was preparing for his upcoming election when he noticed the Prism floating towards him before making a sharp right, causing Steven and Connie to accidently bump into the useless Mayor. "Hey! What do you kids think you're doing?!" Dewey asked in annoyance. "Sorry, we're just following a floaty Prism." Steven said sheepishly before he and Connie got up off the mayor to follow the Prism down Boardwalk Street.

"Sheesh, what else is gonna happen? Someone's gonna crash into my van?" Dewey muttered to himself before Ronaldo accidently ran into the van, causing the alarm to go off. "Tsk, Figures." The Mayor muttered to himself.

* * *

Coming up on Thayer Street

Steven and Connie turned left towards Steven's Dad's Car wash to see the Prism heading in that direction. The Prism then started to slow down and gave the two kids the opportunity to it, however...Steven figured it stopped for a reason before stopping in his tracks. "Connie wait..." He said as he stopped in his tracks.

The young boy then went up to the Prism before speaking to it. "Um...Mr Prism?" He said before it projected Light Steven once more, only Light Steven was more scared than usual. "Light Steven!" Steven said in shock. "Oh no, something's wrong with him!" Steven continued, oblivious to Ronaldo filming the whole thing. "I know, but what?" Connie said, wondered before someone called over to them.

"Uh Steven..." Greg said as he came over to his kid. "Oh hi Dad, what's going on?" Steven asked as he greeted his own father. "Um, nothing much, I was busy cleaning out the car wash and I saw...A giant inverted Pyramid in the sky over by the car wash." Greg said sheepishly, gesturing behind. "Wait, what do you mean _A Giant Inverted Pyramid in the Sky?_..." Steven started to ask, only to see a huge Orangeish Peach Pyramid with four pointy pyramids surroundng it, floating above the car wash. "Oh...I get you now..." Steven said in shock. Ronaldo meanwhile, was amazed at the ship and continued filming the whole scene.

"Steven...Please tell me that this is another new friend of yours?" Greg asked in shock. "Wuh oh..." Steven said, meaning bad news to Greg. "Um, giant spaceship? If you're gonna land, maybe you could move a skosh away from the..." But before Greg could finish his sentence, the spaceship them landed directly and roughly on the car wash, destroying it in the process and causing Greg to scream in fright, but luckily the new sign he put up survived. "CAR WASH! NOOOOOO!" Steven yelled in a panic as Connie put both her hands on her mouth in shock.

On top of the ship, a hatch opened up before a platform elevated, revealing a gem inside. The gem then looked around before teleporting from the platform onto a pile of rubble from the car wash. The gem was tall, quite taller than Garnet, her skin was light orange, her hair was a large pale yellow afro, a dark red unibrow, her right eye was white and a light yellow marking over her left red eye in the shape of an upside down triangle. The gem wore a gold high-collared cape and thigh-high white boots. Her gemstone was a rectangular facet and was located on her chest.

"Ah, the Earth. Did you miss me?" The gem said rhetorically, frightening the kids in the process. "Woah...this is aboslutely cool! I've gotta keep this video for myself!" Ronaldo said with amazement while still filming. "Now let's see, where is...Ah! There you are!" She said, looking at where Steven and Connie were standing. "Eep!" Steven yelped as he thought the gem was looking for him.

"I could feel it! Who even activated you? They obviously don't know that you're still mine." The gem said, confusing Steven and Connie when the gem said _activated_. The gem then opened up her gold cape, revealing the other side of her cape to have sparkly particles on it and also revealed an orange jumpsuit and elbow-length gloves that the gem wore. "Get over here!" The gem said upon snapping her fingers, causing the Prism to retract Light Steven as it floated over to the gem's hand before turning upside down.

When Light Steven appeared once more, the gem looked at it in confusion and disgust. "My stars. You look absurd! Let's get you out of that shape post haste." She said, using the Prism to retract and change Light Steven's form, shocking everyone in the process. "Hey! No! Leave him alone!" Steven yelled. "Yeah! He doesn't want to go with you!" Connie added in anger, drawing he sword, but it was too late, Light Steven's form was sucked back into the Prism despite it's resistance. "Nooooo! Light Steven!" Steven yelled in a panic, gaining the gem's attention. "Hmm, that strange sound...What's that down there?...Humans?" She said before looking at Steven, Connie and Greg.

The gem then began to laugh. "Really! You activated in the hands...of humans?!" The gem said in annoyance towards the Prism. "I leave you here for a few thousand years, and you're ready to activate for whoever...no, _Whatever_ happens to grab you?!"She continued speaking before looking down upon the two kids like they were nothing.

"Well, I'll let you make it up to me. Turn on them and cut them to shreds!" Upon speaking morbidly, the gem somehow got the Prism to to create little creatures with lances and didn't seem...as powerful. "WHAAAT?! What are these weak forms?! Your blades...so _flimsy_! You've gone _Soft_!" She said angrily upon seeing the light creatures before rightening herself calmly. "Come with me, you're embarassing yourself!" After that, the gem teleported back onto her ship. "WAIT! LIGHT STEEEEVENNN!" Steven yelled, trying to get the Prism back but it was too late, the gem ship took off.

One of the light creatures then attempted to attack Steven, but luckily Connie was the first to see it coming towards the young boy. "Steven, watch out!" She yelled as she jumped at Steven and managed to get him out of the way in time before the creature jabbed it's blade into the ground. There was a bit of an awkward moment between Steven and Connie when they blushed, but then they got up and prepared to face the creatures. "Leave it to us Mr Uiverse!" Connie said as she drew Rose's sword from it's scabbard. "ACK! Be careful Kids!" Greg said in fear before getting to cover.

The other light creature then tried attacking Connie, but luckily she dodged the attack and struck the light creature with a strong blow. "Way to go Connie! Nice techique." Steven said with a complement. "Thanks Steven, I've been working on it." Connie replied with a blush before focusing on the creatures again. "Ok Steven! Let's show these lil guys what you're made of!" Steven said to himself before summoning his shield and ramming it into the light creature, causing it to fly up against the wall of the car wash.

One of the light creatures then struck Connie but luckily she managed to block the attack with her sword. "Ow..." She said, feeling the wound where the creature had hit her. "Don't worry Connie, I've got your back!" Steven said as he ran to her side and healed her wound. "Thanks, I needed that." Connie said before the she and Steven saw the two light creatures advancing towards them. "Right, we'd better finish this quickly so we can get the Prism back!" Steven said as Connie nodded in agreement before charging at the two creatures and striking them down.

After they went down, they disolved into light. "Woah...that was coconuts! Are you kids ok?!" Greg asked after coming out of his van. "Yeah...we're ok Dad...sorry about the car wash though." Steven said apologetically as he rubbed his arm. "Hey, it's ok Schtu-ball. At least you're both safe. And hay, the van made it out in one piece, and not a scratch!" Greg said before gesturing his van, but spoke too soon as one of the wheels fell off. "Welp, looks like I've got some work to do, a lot of work. Yeah, I actually have a lot of cleaning up to do." He groaned in shock.

"But what about poor Light Steven? We've gotta save him!" Steven said in a panic, remembering that the gem still had the Prism in her possession. "We've gotta tell the Crystal Gems what happened! They'll know what to do!" Connie said as she looked in Steven's direction. "Yeah, let's go get..." Steven started but was immediately cut off by a scream from down the street. "Oh man, what is it now?" Connie said in annoyance before running over to the source of the scream without noticing Ronaldo filming them still. Greg meanwhile then went back to his van before opening the back doors and peering in. "You ok in here Sweet Pea?" He said strangely, like there was _someone_ _else_ in the van.

Down the street

Steven and Connie ran down to the source of the scream before they then saw some of the light creatures attacking Mayor Dewey's van with the mayor himself locked inside. "Oh, Kids! KIDS! You've gotta help me! There's a crazy blue raccoon on the Dewey Mobile!" He said like a coward from in his own van. "You can count on us Mayor Dewey!" Connie said enthusiastiaclly, causing Dewey to give him the two kids the thumbs up.

One of the light creatures then hit Dewey's manaquin head on the roof of his _Dewey Mobile_. "Hey! That's government property y'know!" Dewey pouted in annoyance. Steven and Connie then managed to knock the blue light creatures off the van by rocking it despite shaking up Dewey inside. After the light creatures fell off, the became angry and charged towards the two kids, luckily Steven summoned his shield, causing all of them to stupidly run right into it, giving them extreme pain. "Steven, you're amazing with that shield!" Connie complemented with amazement, causing Steven to blush a little.

Connie then managed to take out one of the creatures with one blow, but the other two nearly overpowered her if Steven hadn't have thrown one of those pink disks weapons he found the other day. "Man, these guys are tough!" Connie groaned in pain. "Yeah, like I said before, the Prism can make strong enemies at will." Steven reminded before summoning his bubble for protection. "Ok, on three, ready?" Steven said before Connie nodded and prepared to attack. Steven then dropped the bubble and Summoned his shield, just as the two light creatures tried to strike at the two kids. "Oh no you don't!" Connie said before finishing the two light creatures off with a slash.

Once the creatures were defeated, Mayor Dewey came out of the van, looking like a bit of a mess. He then rightened himself before walking over to the two kids. "Thank you kids! But I still need your help!" He said before explaining the reason. "These weird things have infested Beach City! They're a public menace!" Hearing this, Steven and Connie gasped before giving each other a glance of concern. Dewey then requested that they find the key to Beach City, mainly because one of the creatures had made off with it.

So the two kids agreed to get the key, but they also went out looking for the gems. It took them a while, but they managed to track down the creature who stole it. After returning it to Mayor Dewey, they both set out to find the gems and explain the situation from what they saw.

* * *

At the Abandoned Colony Ship

Jade and her remaining crew were busy trying to fix the ship despite the slow progress being made, but suddenly saw a straing shower of light particles from the broken hole in their cockpit. They had managed to see the shower before all three of them went outside to see a strange meteor shower in the middle of the day, oddly enough, each meteor was giving off this strange prismic light.

"Captain...what is that thing?" Wavy asked as she clutched Vertica's arm in a fright. "I'm not sure...both of you stay here and guard the ship, I'm going to find out what's going on!" Jade said before running off to the warp pad and warping off to find the source of the problem.

* * *

Over at The Forge

Bismuth was smithing away with creating a few upgrades for the Crystal Gems, but she stopped upon feeling a strange but familiar presence which came from outside her workshop.

"Hmm...that's strange..." The rainbow gem thought to herself before going outside. She was suddenly frightened by the surviving Crystal Gems who ran towards her in shock and confusion. "Bismuth, you're not gonna believe this! We detected a massive energy source and whatever it was, it created tones of light beings, not like any gems we've ever seen!" Butterwing explained as the others told the rainbow gem that there were tones of them created all over the world.

"Calm down girls! Alright, we've gotta deal with the situation immediately. Pair up and go around the world to fight these creatures." Bismuth said before the crystal gems set off for the warp pad to spread around the world to destroy the light creatures, no questions were asked whatsoever.

Bismuth on the other hand, decided to find the others for assistance.

* * *

Up at the Lighthouse

Connie suggested that going up there would give them a view of the whole city, thus allowing them to find the gems. Upon getting up there however, the two kids saw Lion, sleeping as usual. "Hey Lion! Have you seen the gems around today?" Steven asked upon seeing his companion, but Lion didn't respond, mainly because he was sleeping heavily. "I'll take that as a no." Steven said as he shrugged a little.

He was about to head back down the hill, when he spotted someone down on the becah. "Hey, I think I see one of the gems down there!" Steven called over to Connie upon seeing her. "Who do you see Steven?" Connie asked before she got her answer. "It's Amethyst!" Steven said, making out the lavander skin on the gem and she appeared to be surrounded by a lot of light creatures, but strangely was playing around with them. "You're right! And it looks like she's with Citrine and Carnelian too. You know, they should call you _Eagle Eyes Universe_!" Connie said with a complement, pointing out Amethyst's sister and her cousin.

"C'mon Connie, we've gotta help them! Also...Eagle Eyes Universe does sound pretty cool." Steven said before he and Connie ran over to the trio's position. "Amethyst, Citrine, Carnelian!" Steven said with concern and even gaining the quartz sisters' attention. "Hey dudes! Don't mind us!" Amethyst started before allowing Citrine to continue for her. "We'ré just sengle-handed-lee saveng Beach Citay from zese wiaird monstairs." The yellow quartz said with a cheerful accent as her gem glowed, giving her a great amount of power from within. "It's all in a day's work if you get me." Carnelian said, punching one of the light creatures before it hit her. "Mind if me and Steven lend a hand?" Connie asked.

"Thought you'd never ask." Amethyst said before she summoned her weapon along with Citrine and Carnelian. As the light creatures started attacking, Amethyst used her whip and took out a lot of them. Citrine managed to blast a few into the ocean with her cannon, but was blown back by a big punch. "Oh you are so going to regret that!" Amethyst growled before spin dashing at the creatures along with Carnelian.

Steven and Connie then fused into Stevonnie before charging at the light creatures. The battle was a bit longer than the other fights the two kids ran into, but the gang eventually won. "Niii-iiice!" Amethyst said with her usual mood as Carnelian gave the fusion a thumbs up. "Agreed, zat was prettay good of you Stevonni." Citrine said with amazement as Stevonnie defused. "So...you guys realise that the city's, like, crawling with these things, right?" Amethyst said, making sure that the kids understood her. "Yeah! Amethyst, it was all the work of a Homeworld Gem! She destroyed Dad's car wash and stole the Prism and unleashed all these monsters!" Steven explained in a panic, causing the purple quartz to remember that same Prism she fought a long while back, she then noticed Steven's panicked tone. "Woah, slow down there Turbo!" Amethyst said in attempts to calm Steven down.

"Le car was zat yur Dad ownéd? What a shame, that's ze second time eet was destroyed since... Well ai won't explain zat now." Citrine said with a hint of embarassment. "Anyways, now we've gotta rescue Light Me!" Steven said, in a hurry to save the Prism from that homeworld gem. "Yeah...my Dad's fixing it up right now." Steven said before coming back to the real question. "Anyways, do either of you girls know anything about a Gem who'd come to Earth looking for the Prism? She was, uh, really tall. Hd fluffy hair...kinda orange-ish?" The young boy asked, hoping the purple quartz or her two sisters would know anything about the gem.

"Um...nope, doesn't ring a bell. What about you Citrine? Carnelian? Do either of you girls know a homeworld gem who'd want a Prism?" Amethyst said before asking her two sisters if they knew a gem who'd want the prism. The two quartz shook their heads, giving off the impression that neither of them knew. "Wait...what's all this biz about a Prism again?" Amethyst asked in confusion.

"You know, the one you guys found that day, and it started that whole adventure where we went around the world battling those light creatures?" Steven said, explaining their original adventure to get the light creatures back into the Prism. Amethyst was still a little confused at that question. "You don't remember?" Steven asked in shock. "I guess I sorta remember it. That seemed like a long time ago right? We go on a lot of adventures before we got more recruits." Amethyst said, shrugging in confusion at Steven's question. "Well...we were hoping you or the other gems would know what to do next?" Connie said, causing Amethyst and her sisters to think before it hit them.

"Hmm, comé to think of eet, we did see a 'uge ship f-lee ovair ur 'eads and right towards le fairést." Citrine said, pointing in the direction of the woods clearing at the end of the boardwalk. "Yeah, so I guess we should totally go follow it, is that what you guys would say?" Carnelian asked with excitement before the two kids nodded their heads. "Then what are we waiting for! Shorty Squad on the move!" Amethyst finished with excitement.

"Let's go find this Prism snatcher!" The quartizine trio said with excitement before Steven spoke up. "Yeah! Let's go mash her potatoes!" Steven said with confidence. "YEA-YUH! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! This homewrld punk's got no idea what's comin' her way!" Amethyst said, and with that, the gang set off for the Beach City Woods.

* * *

In the Woods

The gang looked around for any signs of the orange homeworld gem or the Prism, but no sign of anything. "Can you see anything up there sis?!" Amethyst called up to Citrine who was hanging from a tree. "Notheng from up haire anywai!" Citrine called down to Amethyst before jumping off the tree.

"Hmm, where would she go? It's not like there's a secret gem place hiding in the woods." Connie said, trying to think what that gem would want with the Prism. She was busy thinking on the gem, but a chopping noise in the distance. "What's that noise?" Carnelian asked with concern. "I dunno, but let's check it out anyway." Steven said before going towards the source of the noise itself. It actually turned out to be green light creatures who were busy cutting down a tree. "More light creatures!" Amethyst said with excitement, hoping to take down more enemies if she could.

"Oh no! But they're chopping down all the trees! Not mother nature!" Steven said in a panic, causing the two creatures to turn in their direction and prepared to atack the gang. "Uh oh..." Steven said sheepishly before the two creatures came right at Connie. The young girl managed to dodge the axes the creatures carried before hitting one of them with a mighty blow. "Hey Lighties! How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Carnelian asked rhetorically before summoning he Nun-chucks and using them to cut a tree stump, causing bits of wood to fly right at the two creatures and causing a lot of damage.

Connie then managed to finish one of them off with a huge slash before it disintegrated into light particles. "Nice one Connie, but have you seen our move yet?" Amethyst said before fusing into Ametrine with her sister. Ametrine then used her mechanical fists to graple onto the creature and pulled it apart. "Aaaand that's how you defeat the foe." Ametrine said with pride before giving Carnelian a high-five before unfusing.

With that problem out of the way, they gang continued their search for the Prism, they occasionally had to fight a few light creatures along the way, but it wasn't anything that the gang could handle despite a few hits from them. Eventually, Steven went through a log tunnel to see if there was anything unsual, but all he found was a another light creature trying to chop down another tree. He wanted to stop the creature from doing so, but he tripped up and rolled into the green light creature, causing it to fall off the edge of the cliff. "Oops, sorry..." He said sheepishly before walking away whistling.

The gang then searched high and low for the Prism or the Homeworld Gem, Amethyst then found footprints heading off in some direction. "Hey guys look! I think I found where this punk is heading! Man, we are so on a roll! I mean, who needs the others at this point? We've totally got this!" Amethyst stated, to which Steven and Connie chose to ignore, mainly because the others were quite powerful and were more experienced than Amethyst and the other two were.

Further into the woods, the gang searched and searched, but still they couldn't find the Prism, nor the Homeworld Gem. Steven looked behind a waterfall for the gem, but all he found was a dead end and a frustrating wasteful effort. After going a few more miles, Steven discovered another warp pad and looked at it in confusion. "Hmm...was this always here?" He asked the gang who shrugged in confusion. The warp pad suddenly activated and Pearl appeared on it along with Jade. "Steven, Everyone! Oh thank goodness you're all ok!" Pearl said frantically as she ran over to the gang with concern. "Pearl, Jade!" Steven said as his uncorrupted friend greeted him. "Garnet told me what happened and then Nephrite approached me saying she saw multiple light particles. Also...I'm sorry about your father's car wash, Steven." Pearl said apologetically.

"Don't worry Pearl. He's glad that we didn't get hurt, plus he's rich enough to buy another car wash." Steven stated, reminding Pearl that Greg was a billionaire still, despite a few outcomes that happened. "Anyways, you were after a homeworld ship right? Well, you guys are heading in the right direction, it went this way." Jade said, pointing down the path that the gang were going down, which also brought Steven to another question. "Uh, Pearl, Jade, do either of you know that Gem? Who is she?" The young boy asked, hoping to get an answer. "Not important right now, so we're going to need to move fast if we have any hopes of catching up with her." Pearl said before starting to walk down the path.

"Wait! But I..." Steven started, but cut off by Pearl who turned towards him. "Steven, I need you to trust me. Please..." Pearl said with a concerned face, covering her mouth in the process. "Ok Pearl...I trust you." Steven said with a sad but honest smile. "Thank you, P...Steven. Let's go then everyone!" Pearl said before she and Jade led the way towards the homeworld gem.

With Pearl's spear techniques and Jade's magic sword, it was a lot easier to take on more light creatures than before, although Connie took on one with a buzzsaw, it was also really dangerous from Pearl's POV. As the gang continued down the path, they were proceeding down the waterfall while following Pearl and Jade as they went through tree trunk bridges, fought more and more enemies along the way.

"Wow, I can't believe we're here again, journeying around the world, waging epic battles...it's just another day at the office for the Crystal Gems!" Steven said with pride, Jade got confused with the word _office_ , but luckily Connie explained what it was. Steven then felt the need to encourage the gang a little, so he decided to go with Connie. "You know Connie, you're pretty unstoppable." The young boy complemented, causing Connie to blush a little. "Hehe, why thank you Steven. You're not to bad yourself you know." She replied back before they were both interupted by Pearl and the others who were waiting on them expectantly.

After catching up with the others, they went down the hill and met a few light creatures head on. Jade and Connie then combined both of their sword fighting techniques to the test as they took on another buzzsaw powerd light creature, which was troublesome and it nearly caused them to to falter, but they ended up putting that creature on ice, metaphorically.

Steven then fused with Amethyst to form Smoky Quartz and the fusion managed to take out the rest of the creatures with her yoyos. After the battle, Steven and Connie found a secret passageway leading to the edge of a cliff in the woods, but it was also a good thing they came this way, mainly because they heard a familiar voice. "Ah, here we are..." The voice of the Homeworld Gem said in the distance. "It's her!" Steven said frantically as he and Connie went to the edge of the cliff and saw the homeworld gem walking through a doorway with the Prism just before it closed in.

"Oh man, she went inside that weird triangle door." Steven said in shock while Connie thought about something important. "Wait...was that door always here in the woods? Maybe if we tell the others, we'll be able to find out." She said before they went back to the gang, and to their surprise, they were greeted with a really frantic Steven. "GUYS!" He yelled, gaining everyone's attention. "What is it Steven?!" Jade asked with concern. "We saw the Gem! I think I know where she's going!" Steven explained before he started leading the way much to everyone's confusion.

It took a while...as well as a few dozen enemies to fight, but eventually, Steven managed to guide the gang safely towards the triangular door. "Are we zére yét?" Citrine asked with boredom, which was like the thousandth time she had done so in the last few minutes. "Ok, now we are." Steven said, upon seeing the triangular door. "Ah of course...it must be a gem place...but how'd we get it open?" Carnelian said before asking how they could get the door open.

At that moment, the doors opened automatically, much to everyone's surprise. "Oh...that's handy." Connie stated with approval before the gang headed through the doors. "Be on your guard everyone, we might be in for a bit of a fight." Jade stated, summoning her sword as the others summoned their weapons. The gang then came across what appeared to be, an ancient base which had been deserted for what seemed like a millenia. "Wow...this place looks pretty lame." Amethyst stated with her own opinion. "Amethyst! This is an original colony base, don't be disrespectful." Pearl pouted with annoyance, as always. An argument was about to heat up when Jade and Steven spotted the gem up ahead in what appeared to be some form of control room. "There she is!" Steven whispered to the gang as they looked towards her.

The gem seemed quite busy with running some tests on the Prism, but she was interrupted by Pearl and Jade who gasped in realisation. "HESSONITE!" The two gems said in unison as the two of them ran over to the gem who they called _Hessonite_. This gained, Hessonite's attention before she turned in the direction of the gang and almost recognised one of them. "Can it be...? A Crystal Gem?!" She said rhetorically. "Uh... How doés she know what we represént?" Citrine asked with concern, slightly shaking.

"So, my Prism wasn't the only thing that managed to stay intact after the Diamond's retaliation! Was it you who activated _my_ Prism? No wonder the poor thing's so confused. You don't even know how to properly use it!" Hessonite said in annoyance, realising that because the Prism activated in the hands of the Crystal Gems had scrambled it's memory. "Um, I don't think we do know how it works." Carnelian stated in confusion.

"Well no worries little Carnelian, let me show you how it's done." Hessonite spoke before using the Prism's power to do something as the monitors shut down all together as she evily chuckled. "That should do the trick!" She continued as she made the gang very concerned. "Isn't this nostalgic! And here I thought the war was over. Well it will be now! Goodbye!" Hessonite spoke before teleporting off as the Prism created a huge green light monster with a cement mixer and a terrifying looking mouth.

"Oh man! That monster!" Steven said in a panic. "It's...IT's...INSECTI-SAW!" He yelped, pointing at the monster before the gang looked at him awkwardly. "Um...Steven? Did you really just name the Monster?" Connie asked with a humorous smirk. "Urm...well...yeah! Doesn't it seem like a big monster like this needs a name?" Steven said, looking towards Connie.

"Not when you put eet lik zat." Citrine said awkwardly before the monster roared, revealing multiple buzzsaws in it's mouth. "Get ready everyone!" Pearl said as she summoned her weapon along with the others. Carnelian was the first to attack with her nun-chucks as she managed to hit the eyes of the Insecti-Saw. Connie then attacked a few other green light creatures that were advancing towards the gang. "Pearl then shot her spear at the driver of Insecti-Saw and damaged it slightly, but not enough.

The battle went on for a while, Pearl had tried taking out the driver but her spear missed by inches. The Insecti-saw then fired a blast at Connie with it's cannon, she tried to block it but it was too late and the blast caused her to hit a tree head first painfully. "Connie!" Steven yelped as he ran over to help her. Boy was it a good thing her injuries weren't fatal.

"Keep an eye on her Ste-man, We'll take care of this guy!" Amethyst said before fusing into Ametrine once more with her sister in order to take down the light creatures surrounding them. "Well...at least these light creatures are harmless without weapons." Pearl stated with a smile. But just as she spoke, the green light creatures approached Insecti-Saw with wood blocks and threw them into the wood shreader, thus creating weapons and shields made out of wood.

"You had to jinx that one, didn't you Pearl?" Carnelian groaned in annoyance before attacking the creatures. Insecti-Saw fired another beam at Steven and Connie, but luckily Steven summoned his shield and fused into Stevonnie with his friend just in time. "Alright Insecti-Saw, you wanna dance? Then let's dance!" She spoke before engaging Insecti-Saw in the process before slicing away at the light powered machine. After multiple slices, Stevonnie managed to weaken the machine. "Ok Nephie! Take it out!" Stevonnie yelled to Nephrite as swiftly dodged the light creatures and threw her sword into Insecti-Saw and damaged it. The light creature then went down thanks to Nephrite's help.

"Nice one Nephie." Stevonnie spoke as she defused into Steven and Connie. "Thanks. I guess this thing's finally gone down then." Nephrite said with remark before hearing a whirring noise from behind her. The Insecti-Saw had gotten up for one last attempt on destroying the gang. "Oh man, it looks mad!" Steven yelped right before the light creature fired it's beam at the gang, weakening them in the process while it prepared it's finishing blow. "Oh no..." Connie groaned as she braced herself for unimaginable pain.

But just when the light creature controlling Insecti-Saw prepared to fire his laser...

CLANK!

The Insecti-Saw was suddenly struck down with a might blow, which seemed to be the doing of a big gauntlet which was shot from a distance, causing the machine to blow up into a load of light particles. The gem who fired that gauntlet was revealed to be none other than Garnet herself, and she was accompanied by Bismuth who took down a few green light creatures with her mallet and shapeshifted hand. "That timing...that was so cool..." Steven said with awe as he helped Connie to her feet and regrouped with the others.

"Eez évairybody ok?" Citrine asked the gang who replied with positive signs. "Yep...you were lucky we showed up, otherwise you would've been shards." Bismuth said with pride, thus earning a bit of a glare from Garnet before she turned towards the gang. "Hello everyone." Garnet spoke, greeting her fellow allies. "Hey Garnet." Carnelian spoke with excitement. "Thanks for getting us outta that tight spot, Garnet." Connie said gratefully. "Yeah, boy was that one tricky pickle!" Steven said, trying to calm down a little.

"Wait...what about the Prism?!" Steven said before running over to the spot where he last saw the Prism, only to find that it had gone again, presumingly taken by that gem called Hessonite. "Oh man, looks like our Prism is in another castle!" He cried out in fear as the gang gasped in shock. "Ugh, again?! As if that Gem makes things harder for us...now how are we gonna find her?!" Nephrite exclaimed in annoyance.

Hearing about that yellow Gem, Steven began to realise something. "Wait...that Homeworld Gem...Pearl...didn't you say her name was Hessonite?" He asked as he turned towards Pearl. "Yeah...Ste-man's right, how did you know that gem Pearl?" Amethyst asked with her usual attitude. "It's...a long story..." Pearl stated, covering her mouth a little. "Either way, she's a serious threat. We're going to need ot act quickly!" Garnet stated before the gang set off for the nearest Warp Pad. "Um...how do we act when we don't know where she is?" Nephrite asked in confusion. "I know where we need to go, Jade. Let's head to the warp pad!" Garnet said as she gave Bismuth a nod.

* * *

Back at Bismuth's Forge

The gang warped over to the Forge's warp pad and walked all the way over to the entrance. "Wow...It's been ages since I was here...or since I was attacked here, should I say." Connie stated with amazment before shivering on that last part. "All because of some desire to get revenge on the Bismuth who betrayed you huh?" Amethyst asked as she turned towards Bismuth. "Yep...and if you wanna know, yes. I still plan on tracking her down." Bismuth said firmly. After her argument with Steven in Roes's Room, Bismuth decided to confess the truth of why she built the breaking point.

"So...any leads so far?" Steven asked, hoping Bismuth found a few clues. "Nope. None of the gems we bubbled had any cut of Bismuths. So that means the Bismuth were off Earth when those Diamonds launched their final attack here." The Rainbow gem responded as the gang descended down the stairs towards her workshop. "Oh no! I forgot! What about Jewel or the others?! Are they aware of this?!" Pearl said in a panic. "Don't worry, they're on the case. Apparently these light creatures have spread throughout the world, so Jewel lead the others on a mission to fight them off until everything is under control." Bismuth explained about Jewel's plan just as the gang walked through the doors of the forge.

"Right...so why'd we come here again?" Steven asked with confusion. "To stand up against Hessonite, we'll need...a little upgrade." Garnet said with a smirk as Bismuth relit her forge and got to work on a few upgrades, for Steven's shield, for Connie's and Jade's Swords and for Carnelian's nun-chucks. During those few moments, Steven and Connie decided to look around the forge for a minute.

It was on the wall where the two kids saw designs for gem weapons. One was for Bismuth's breaking point, and the other...was in (1)the form of both an axe and a hammer, which brought Steven's curiosity. "Hey Bismuth...what's this?" He asked, just as the rainbow gem finished her work. "That? Why one of my greatest weapon designs. It was thought out by my architect and Purity's mystical ways." Bismuth explained, mentioning her mysterious friend once more.

Looking around, the two kids couldn't see the weapon, apart from a dormant breaking point near the batch of other weapons that the rainbow gem had built. "So...where is it?" Connie asked in confusion. "Oh yeah...that's the thing...I haven't actually built it yet." She said, causing the two kids to ask why. "Reason being, it requires the strongest metal in existance and the core of a shooting star. During the war, Purity and I came up with this weapon and I never got the chance after Rose bubbled me away." Bismuth explained much to her annoyance.

"So...if we find Purity...we can find the materials?" Steven asked with hope. "Yep...it's more complicated than that Steven...I'll explain on the way, besides, I've finished upgrading the weapons." Bismuth said as she handed the weapons back to the gang. The weapons were a little bit more sharper and even better than they originally were when the Rainbow gem made them. "She's right, plus we've got another stop to make." Garnet said with a smirk. "Ooh! Ooh! Future vision time?!" Steven asked with excitement. "You know it Steven. Let's head back to the Warp Pad." Garnet said as the other gems nodded with approval.

The team then made their way back to the warp pad. "Oh, where exactly are we going Garnet?" Nephrite asked before the gang warped off to their new destination.

* * *

Over at The Great North.

The team warped all the way to the winter wonderland, and already there were a few problems: Most of the team were freezing. "Brr. The Great North, I should have figured. It's kinda too bad that I didn't know we were coming back here. I could've packed my survival supplies for sure...and warmer clothes, no...definately warmer clothes." Connie said, shivering in the cold weather, even the weather was getting to Steven when he started shivering too,

"Ahem." Pearl said, causing the two kids to look in her direction to see she had prepared warmer clothes and survival supplies. Upon seing this, the two kids smiled in relief. One quick change later, the team were heading down the path they were told where Garnet was looking.

"So...what is it we're actually doing here again Garnet?" Steven asked in confusion as his fusion mentor looked towards him. "You'll see. Let's head this way." Garnet responded as she lead the team to the place. "Somehow, I almost envy Garnet's future vision." Bismuth stated with a smile. "I know...I mean multiple possiblities and a fusion between a Ruby and a Sapphire? This is beyond anything I've learned from homeworld since Steven uncorrupted me." Nephrite stated with amazement before thinking of something else.

"I've also realised something...my commander, Black Nephrite...she's a Nephrite like me...but if Hessonite is my commander..." She started, only to be cut off by Pearl who gasped in horror. "...Then Black Nephrite was probably never really the one in charge." She said, coming to a conclusion. "Woah...talk about misleading people right sis?" Amethyst said to Citrine who nodded in agreement. "Still...I haven't figured out how we're going to get those gems down from space yet." Steven said sheepishly until he was reassured by Bismuth who said to leave it for now.

Further down the path, the team met some light blue snow like light creatures who attacked them, but because they were made of snow, Amethyst was easily able to defeat them when she and Garnet fused back into Sugilite and smashed them to pieces. Pearl was quite annoyed with Sugilite's destruction but took it too far, causing Sugilite to dump a huge bunch of snow on top of the perfect Pearl. Everyone laughed at this, especially afterwards when Pearl came out shivering in the snow.

The team was about to continue when they suddenly heard a ringing noise. "Umm...is someone ringing?" Connie asked in confusion. Steven took a moment to think before he realised that it was his phone that was going off. "Oh, that's me." He said before picking it up. "Myello?" Steven said before a familiar and annoying voice spoke upon the phone.

" _STEVEN!_ " Peridot yelled with an absolute rage. "Oh, hey Peridot! Is everything ok?" Steven asked with concern. " _NO! Things are objectively not ok! It's the tactical battle simulator! The...wait, what did you call it?...'Are Pee Gee'?_ " Peridot explained, causing Steven to realise with relief as Peridot showed an RPG game that she gave Peridot a week after they got back from the Zoo. "Oh right, the game I lent you. What's wrong with it?" He asked with a smile.

" _Yes! That's the problem! It's defective! No matter what I do, I can't progress!_ " Peridot complained whilst shaking her game about. "Oh don't worry about it Peri! In an RPG, sometimes you just have to level up your guys before you can move forward." Steven explained cheerfully...but confusing Peridot in the process.

"Level...up?" Peridot asked as she looked back and forth between her game and Steven, but soon she gave a satisfied nod towards her friend. "Further experimentation is required. Peridot, out!" She said before preparing to hang up on Steven. "Oh, ok...good talk." Steven said before the two gems finished their conversation. By then, Steven noticed the other gems impatiently waiting for him to finish.

The gang then continued their journey through the great north, along frozen paths, heavy snow and facing many light creatures along the way. They felt that the battles between them was getting harder, but still..they never gave up on doing their great quest. Although, something about the Prism was bugging away at Bismuth, she felt like it's design was somewhat of one that a certain _friend_ of her's built.

Further along the path, the gang had finished getting Steven and Connie out of an ice lake after Steven accidently fell in, when they spotted something. A green spherical vehicle. "Spa...spa...SPA...SPACESHIIIIIP!" Steven yelled with a panic. "Wait...That doesn't look like the same spaceship we were chasing before..." Connie said nervously before the ship wooshed off. "Is that why we're here?" Carnelian asked in confusion before she was met by Garnet's nod. "We'd better follow it anyways, it might give us a clear idea on where Hessonite is." Pearl said before running after the ship, leaving the team confused, all except for Garnet.

"Uh...is it me or is Pearl letting this whole, Prism/Hessonite stuff getting to her head?" Nephrite asked in confusion. "I dunno...I kinda like it." Amethyst said with a smile before she and her quartz troup ran after the Pearl with the rest of the team following close behind, facing multiple enemies along the way and coming out with a few bruises.

Further along the path, the team manage to catch up with Pearl who was fighting some sort of wizard light creature. It took a while, and it was quite difficult, but eventually...or rather quickly, the gems managed to take out the wizard and all the other light creatures. One of them shot spikes at them, and one of the spokes badly hurt Connie's left hand, rendering her unable to hold the sword properly. Connie cried in pain, unable to bare it. Luckily Steven had the medical supplies and used his healing abilities to fix the wound up in no time.

With the hand fixed, the team continued. And before long, they spotted the green ship again. "There it is again!" Steven cried out whilst pointing at the ship before it zoomed off. "Mysterious spaceship is mysterious!" He said once again before noticing Garnet and Pearl running off towards the ship's direction. "Come on, no time to waste!" Garnet said before she and Pearl quickly pursued the ship with the gang following a bit behind, somehow, Citrine and Nephrite fell behind after running a lot.

The team crossed the frozen lakes, which was logical to Pearl because it was the only way to catch the ship. After going behind a waterfall, Steven got another call. "Ugh, hold up, I've got another call you guys." Steven said before he took out his phone and causing the others to groan. Steven then picked it up immediately. "Steven Universe speaking." He said, but surprisingly when he expected Peridot to be angry, Steven actually saw the green gem smiling unlike before. " _Steven! You won't believe it! I LEVELLED UP!_ " Peridot yelled with excited chuckle, finally getting to the part where she wanted to be.

"Alright! Way to go, Peri! I knew you could do it!" Steven said, congratulating Peridot on her Level ups. " _Yes! And now I understand why you spend so much time with this silly leisure activity!_ " Peridot added as her ' _knowledege_ ' had increased as she put it. "At first it seemed to sever no functional purpose, but now! Now well...it's addictive." She admitted sheepishly. "Haha, that's games for you!" Steven said with a chuckle, oblivious to the others waiting impatiently. "Steven? The mission?" Pearl groaned after waiting for ages. "Yeah Ste-man, we've been waiting here like forever." Amethyst added.

"Oh, uh ok Pearl. Anyhoo...I'm sorta busy at the moment. Catch you later?" Steven said sheepishly, hoping Peridot would understand. " _Yes, I must acquire more of these 'XP's anyway. Goodbye Steven!_ " Peridot said before hanging up before the team continued walking. "Honestly, why did you bothair giveng Pairidot those stupid RPG Games Stevén?" Citrine asked in annoyance. "Hey come on, Peridot seemed keen on playing those things, so Steven allowed her to play them. I mean, sometimes we've gotta be patient with somethings despite the horrible stuff going on, right?" Nephrite said to the yellow quartz who giggled it off as the team went into a huge cave.

Inside, the team were struggling to stay on their feet as they slipped on the ice and it overall, gave the enemies an advantage to take them down despite losing to the Crystal Gems. After ages of slipping and falling, the team finally made it out of the cave. While walking, Steven could have sworn that he saw a huge (2)shadow following him, not his mother's...but another gem's shadow, a taller one. "Steven?" Connie asked, causing the young boy to look at his friend before looking back to see his own shadow. "I'm ok Connie." Steven said with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, things sure were getting a bit hairy." Connie admitted despite the smile. "Yeah...but I think you're unstoppable...with all the sword fights." Steven complemented. "Hehe, why thank you. You're not too bad yourself, y'know!" Connie said whilst blushing. She then held onto Steven's hand when he least expected it.

"Aw shucks." Steven said as he blushed. All the while, Nephrite, Citrine and Amethyst seemed sad, seeing as how Steven wasn't with them for a long while. Luckily Bismuth was the one to reassure the gang despite everything. Soon, the team climbed up a snowy pathway where the ship, along the way they crossed a bridge over a beautiful sight full of mountains which seemed so satisfying to the team as they looked at it a little.

"Wow..." Connie said with awe. "I know right?" Steven stated with wide eyes...until the moment was ruined by Bismuth. "Guys...we gotta catch up with that spaceship?" She said with a chuckle before setting off towards the ship's location.

* * *

A long while later

The entire team came out to the top of a hill where there was a lot of slippery ice. Bismuth and Pearl looked all around before grumbling in annoyance. "Even after all that...it's gone!" Pearl groaned in anger. "We were so close too." Bismuth sighed, annoyed that the ship had gotten away from the gang. Suddenly, the team spots a figure in the distance.

"Hey...who's that?" Nephrite asked in confusion. "Dunno...hey, let's get a closer look!" Amethyst said before she and the quartz troup ran with her. "Guys wait!" Steven yelled before he ran towards the trio and stopped them just before they ran into the figure. Steven was about to tell them off when he noticed that the figure was actually a gem.

Apparently, this gem wore a green and black Homeworld uniform, only this one had quite a bulky upper torso and there were spherical shoulder pads. Both her stomach and knees had Yellow Diamond's insignia on them. But the most important feature, was that she is equipped with limb enhancers on her arms and legs, showing that this gem was an an Era 2 Gem. "Log date 3-9-2. Charging station relocation attempt unsuccessful. Performing diagnostics to..." The gem started, only to be cut off by a surprised Steven.

"P...Peridot?! What are you doing here? Did you beat that RPG already?" Steven asked, causing the gem he figured was Peridot to turn around to face Steven, only something wasn't right. The Peridot gem was in the left eye, a darker olive-green complexion and the hair was in the shape of a rectangular prism. "Heyyy...are those your old limb enhancers? And what's with your hair...and your gem?" Steven asked before realising something.

"Wait a minute! You're not Peridot! You're more like a...Squaridot!" Steven exclaimed in realisation before he, Bismuth and Amethyst laughed at the name. "Hahahaha! Good one Steven! Even I couldn't have come up with a better name." Bismuth laughed, falling on the floor and laughing her heart out. "Bismuth, stop that, she must be working with Hessonite!" Pearl stated with annoyance before Bismuth realised in shock. "Ugh, way to spoil the fun!" Amethyst groaned in annoyance.

"Don't move! You're not going anywhere!" Garnet stated, summoning her gauntlets as the Peridot turned towards the team. "Gems... on Earth?" Squaridot spoke in confusion. "Hey, so Squaridot...can I call you Squari? Look, this doesn't need to be a fight. My name's Steven, and..." Steven started to asked with a smile, only to be cut off by Squaridot who was absolutely confused. "A...Steven?" She asked confusingly. "Man, I'm getting some serious deja vu from this." Steven said in shock. "Tell me about it." Amethyst said, remembering how the Peridot they knew, used to be. "That's enough talk from The Steven! I have very clear orders in the event of this precise scenario!" Squaridot spoke with annoyance before smiling crazily at her enemies.

"Witness my attack mode, Earth Gems! and the Steven and...other human!" Squaridot continued evily before being warped up by the same spaceship that they were following. The ship the released two arms on it's side before the top opened up, revealing the Square-haired Peridot driving it. "Oh dair, zis cannot bé good." Citrine spoke with shock. "Everyone get ready to fight!" Bismuth yelled to the gang before summoning her mallet. "Mwuahahahaha! Your outdated Gem tech cannot stand up against my battle ready half levi-sphere...freshly issued! Haha! My commander will reward me handsomly for your defeat! Or perhaps, dare I even think it...Recognition from Yellow Diamond herself! Prepare for humiliating defeat, you...you PEBBLES!" Squaridot said before activating the weapons on her levi-sphere.

"Pebbles? Is that really the best she could say?" Nephrite asked with annoyance. Squaridot then fired a laser ball right at the team, but luckily Bismuth shot it back at Squaridot who shot it back, and that moment became like a game of tennis for a moment before Bismuth damaged the levi-sphere with her mallet. "Righ! Why do you still live?!" The Peridot asked in shock before getting her answer from Nephrite. "Because...we've got more willpower! Than you!" She said whilst slapping Squaridot on the face multiple times before she was thrown off.

Squaridot then activated her levi-sphere arms which begun to act like fans which began sucking the gang towards them. "Waoh! Ok...I didn't expect this!" Carnelian stated in shock while attempting to run away from the fans despite the force being applied on her. "Keep running, the fans'll eventually overheat!" Garnet yelled whilst using her future vision. Eventually, the fans shut down and the whole team was relieved.

Squaridot then attempted to blast Steven, but luckily, Bismuth and Pearl fused into Ammolite who used her baton as a tennis racket before using it to whack the levi-sphere into the ground which partially malfunctioned. It took Squaridot a moment to figure out what to do next before she looked towards Connie and grabbed her with the left arm of her ship. "Hahaha! Now I've got the upperhand you pebbles!" She laughed triumphantly. "Connie! Let her go!" Steven cried out in shock. "Not a chance! Now I can attack you without you trying to hit me back! It's all thanks to this helpless female human!" Squaridot said with pride, only to be distracted long enough for Connie to cut one of the arms off and causing the ship to smoke a little.

"HEY! I just got this ship you traitorous Pebble! You're such a nuisance!" Squaridot complained in anger before Garnet hit her in the face with her rocket fist followed by Citrine's blaster too. "We're not as much of a nuisance than you!" Stevonnie said suddenly after Steven and Connie fused into her to attack the levi-sphere controls along with Nephrite. "You pebbles will never defeat me! My levi-sphere is indestructable!" Squaridot claimed with pride, only causing Nephrite to smirk. "How'd you hide the self-destruct button?" She asked with a smile, causing the peridot to look back at her. "Self-destruct button?" Squaridot asked in confusion before Nephrite pointed towards a red button with a danger symbol on it. "Yeah...you might wanna work on that one." She said before hitting the button and jumping off the sphere.

By hitting the button, Jade activated the self-destruct sequence. The Levi-Sphere then blew Squaridot sky-high and caused her to fall into the nearest pile of snow. "Nice move Nephie!" Stevonnie complemented before unfusing. "Thanks, as a Captain, I'm quite familiar with buttons on a ship." Nephrite responded with a smile. "Rgh! This defeat is irrelevant! Once Homeworld recieves word of this, they'll crush you like the pebbles you are!" Squaridot exclaimed as her voice muffled within the snow and kicked her feet about. "Man, this is just like how it went down with our Peridot." Steven said sheepisly before he noticed Connei who realised something. "Wait! If this is something similar than how you defeated Peridot, then..." Connie started before she and Steven spoke in unison. "This could be the first step to a brand new friendship! Jinx!" They both said before laughing. "Ai AGREE Wiv ze Nu FRIENDSHIP IDEA! Ai mean, can any of you imagine 'ow fun eet would bé just 'aveng deux Pairidots around?" Citrine spoke up whilst glowing.

"Urm, I think one might be plenty Citrine." Pearl said awkwardly. Garnet and Bismuth then went over to Squaridot and lifted her out of the snow. "Alright, let's chat Squaridot." Garnet said calmly. "Grr! That is not my name you pebbles! By happenstance you may have subdued me and you may have commandeered my vessel..." Squaidot complained angrily but cut off by Bismuth. "Commandeered? More like, sunk your vessel." The Rainbow Gem spoke, pointing towards the destroyed levi-sphere. "Whatever...but I'll NEVER disclose my commander's whereabouts!" Squaridot then said with an outburst.

"Hmm, whereabouts...I've got it! Maybe her ship's computer can track Hessonite?" Connie said, having come up with a brilliant idea. "Impressive Connie!" Pearl complemented with a smile before continuing. "While fixing this thing won't be easy, mainly because it's badly damaged and is modern gem tech...too foreign for me to understand...I honestly don't know how to fix it." Pearl said, annoying the gang about the fact that she couldn't fix it. "Y'know, if only we had our _own_. Peridot to fix something like this! And lucky for us, we totally do!" Steven said before leading the team to the nearest warp pad.

"Yeah, I'll bet Peridot is expecting an exciting visit from her good ol' pals!" Amethyst said with excitement which stemmed from going back to see Peridot once more.

* * *

At the barn

Peridot was playing away at the RPG that Steven had given her and was really enjoying it, but she was too distracted with it to expect company inside her home. "Come on, YES! Take that you clods! Feel my unbridled rage!" Peridot said triumphantly, taking out the enemies on her game. Lapis on the other hand, was outside the barn watching from the television without her usual cares whilst Imperai was on the top of the barn practicing with her telepathic arrow.

Just then, Steven and the other arrived as they came towards the entrance. "Oh, hey everyone." Lapis said with a smile as she greeted the gems. Upon hearing those words from Lapis, Peridot charged out of the barn with excitement along with Imperia who jumped down with her ninja-like skills. "Steven! Perfect timing! To everyone in fact! My party just reached level 3! A...and..." Peridot started, only to notice Squaridot who was held by Bismuth. "Um...Bismuth, Who is...this...?" She asked in confusion as Squaridot got free from Bismuth and looked directly at Peri.

"Hehe, uh...Peridot...meet, Squaridot!" Steven said with excitement, introducing Peridot to the Era 2 Peridot. There was a moment of silence because of the shock from the two gems before Steven spoke up. "Right, so...this is awkward..." Steven said sheepisly. "What are you doing here?! Where are your limb enhancers?! You're so...naked and detatched!" Squaridot exclaimed with shock. "What is the status of your assignment? We must report your whereabouts at once! _Unbelivable...how embarrassing...thank the stars I'm not you._ " She continued before whispering to herself, similar to Peridot's old ways.

This annoyed Peridot in the process. " _I'm_ embarrassing?! Hahahaha! I think the word you're looking for is... _enlightened_." She said firmly. "Enlightened?!" Squaridot asked with shock. "Open your mind! Unhook from their machines! You don't have to do everything your superiors say! You don't have to do ANY of it!" Peridot explained whilst trying to convince Squaridot about what she learned. "But...that's treason...you misguide...PEBBLE!" Squaridot spat angrily at Peridot. "Pebble?! WELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE?!" Peridot said rhetorically before making Steven a little nervous. "Oh...hhho kay, you two, maybe we should break this up and..." Steven started, only to be cut off by Peridot. "YOU'RE A SHALLOW STRATA, ZETA KINTERGARTEN CLOD!" Peridot yelled in rage. "CLOD?! ME, a Clod?! You're the Clod, CLOD!" Squaridot spat back.

"You're the CLODDIEST CLOD I'VE EVER SEEN, CLODDING AROUND! CLOD!" Peridot snapped, causing Lapis to laugh, thinking how funny it was for Peridot to actually fight against. "Wow. This is...something..." Pearl said in surprise while Bismuth laughed at the two Peridots arguing. "This has gotta be the funniest thing I've ever seen in years!" She said, snorting with laughter. "Hey Lapis, please tell me you've got some popcorn up there?" Amethyst asked Lapis. "Sorry, fresh out." The blue gem responded with an emotionless personality. "Guys! I get it! You're so different, yet you're the same gem! I know this must be similar to looking into some kind of angry mirror, but I'm sure we can find some common ground, right? Wouldn't it be so much nicer if you two could be Peri-Pals?" Steven said, trying to break up the fight.

"Silence, The Steven. Your manipulative machinations are irrelevant. When my commander returns from the _battlefield_ , she'll..." Squaridot suddenly spoke, oblivious to revealing where Hessonite was until she was cut off by Connie. "Battlefield? Battlefield...what if the battlefield Hessonite is at is actually the Strawberry Battlefield?" Connie suggested, thinking about the word _battlefield_. Hearing this put Squaridot off her concentration. "I...uh...urm..." She said hesitantly, causing Peridot to laugh. "Hahaha! You've said too much! Rookie mistake." Peridot said, laughing out loud and leaving Squaridot in shock. She then growled before she used her limb enhancer to form a gun to shoot at the two kids who were frightened.

"Guys! Help!" Steven yelped, but just before Squaridot could shoot, Bismuth shapeshifted her hands into bigger hands and crushed the Peridot with all the strength she could muster, thus poofing her and destroying her limb enhancers in the process. Bismuth then allowed Peridot to bubble Squaridot so she could send her inside with the corrupted monster she tamed. "Ok...well, that was disturbing to watch." Peridot said, freaking out on the inside. "Awww man...so much for the Peri-pals." Steven said sadly.

"Anyways, now that that's through, let's take a look at that terminal." Garnet said as Pearl took out the terminal from Squaridot's ship. "Yes, so even if Hessonite's somewhere at the battlefield, we'll need this terminal to pinpoint her exact location." Pearl explained to everyone before handing the terminal to Peridot. "Do ya think you could get it working Peri?" Bismuth asked the short gem. "Hrmm, this'll take some time to repair. _A_ _nd_ I'll need to collect some very specific materials in order to do it. In other words, I'M GOING WITH YOU GUYS!" Peridot said with delight, grabbing a few gadgets and gizmos before joining the gang.

"Yay! Our party grows! Hey Lapis! Do you wanna come too?" Steven said to Lapis with excitement. "Eh..." Lapis said without any interest. "Are you suuure? It's a pretty exciting epic adventure we're going on! I'm sure everyone would to have you be part of it." Steven said, trying to convince Lapis whilst showing her puppy eyes, causing her to laugh once more. "Ok, ok. I'll come. I need to stretch my wings anyway." Lapis said before flying down towards the gang with her wings. "Alright everyone, to the warp pad! Let's go find Hessonite!" Bismuth said, leading everyone to the warp pad before warping off.

"I just hope the Prism is ok." Steven then said sadly. "Come on, I'm sure it'll be fine. I mean, what's the worst that could happen to it?" Bismuth said, trying to reassure Steven from what could happen to the Prism.

* * *

Meanwhile

Hessonite was using her tech to do something to the Prism, she was evily cackling, so it wasn't a good sign, and with the Prism slowly regaining it's original state, it was hard to tell if Hessi was planning on turning it to destroy all who stood in her way.

But the question was, would Steven and the team be able to stop her before she could use the Prism's powers for evil?

TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

 **(1) This'll be the most important weapon within Adventures of the Gems.**

 **(2) This shadow is someone...you might guess who this is.**

 **Also, some of you might have noticed me changing Jade's name to Nephrite and not getting Greg involved in this story. If you want to know, I did that because I felt like that's Jade's real name. As for Greg, he stayed behind to look after _someone..._ but that's a story for another time...or at least, after the second part of Save the Light is finished.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all liked my version of Save the Light and stay tuned for the second part of this thrilling adventure** **.**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	11. Save the Light - Part 2

**Welp, it's time for part 2 ^^**

 **I hope you enjoy this part**

* * *

 **Save the Light - Part 2**

At the Strawberry Battlefields

The entire team warped to the battle field where Steven then stepped off and sniffed the delightful strawberries. "Man, it feels like we were just here!" He said with a smile upon his face. "Yeah...well I don't see how, but anyways, we've got a Prism to find, so let's get a move on." Bismuth said before the entire gang moved out. Lapis decided to fly above, to get a good view of beyond.

Although, Imperia was wondering why this battlefield was famous. Pearl and Garnet explained that the battlefield was once a war zone from the rebellion over 5,300 years ago. Garnet also explained that may gems were broken and partially some of the Crystal Gems were shattered too. Nephrite shuddered at the thought of being shattered herself, but decided to shrug it off afterwards. "It's very fascinating in my opinion." Peridot stated as she used her ferrokinesis to pick up one of the old rebellion swords to scan it.

It was then that more light creatures attacked, only this time they took the team by surprise. But all the same, it was a quick battle with the help of Peridot's invention: The Peri-Cannon. After that, everyone came across a high cliff which was too high to reach. "Steven! Look!" Peridot suddenly yelped with excitement as she pointed to a platform above the cliff. "Ok! Wait...am...I looking at strawberries? Well, mainly because there's a lot of..." Steven started, only to be cut off when Peridot ran over to him and turned his head in the direction of a strange object. "No, no! Up there! That piece of metal! It looks like Tungsten! I could use that thing to help with my repairs of the computer terminal!" Peridot said as she pointed towards the object.

"Wanna know how we're going to get to it?" Peridot asked, hoping everyone would know the answer. "Useng yur metal abilitees?" Citrine asked with excitement as Steven asked the same thing. "Yes! Your answer is a commendable display of wisdom Steven." Peridot said proudly, also annoying Citrine in the process. "Since the material is a bit too far away for my powers to reach, I can luckily use them on this conveniently placed metal block here." The green gem spoke as she tried using her powers, but it wasn't strong enough for moving the block, causing Lapis to laugh. "Peri, if you wanted a hand, why not get me to help?" Lapis said as she pushed the block over towards the cliff.

After being helped, Peridot lead everyone up towards the metal fragment and she picked it up. "Nyahaha! I'm so relevant! But sadly, this one piece isn't enough. We'll need to find more." She said before explaining the downfall of gaining the fragment. "Ugh, of course. Why am I not surprised?" Bismuth groaned. "I'd say by collecting around ten total specimens of this size will do the trick, and only then can I repair the terminal which will lead us directly to the Clod-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named!." Peridot explained as she mentioned Hessonite.

"Cool! Well you're in luck, because I'm super good at collecting things." Steven said with excitement as he floated down from the platform and continued to search for more Tungsten parts. Sure there were more light creatures along the way but that didn't stop them in the slightest. All the while, Connie and Bismuth were talking while searching around the place for more fragments. Connie asked about the weapon's capabilities, and Bismuth explained the whole thing. "If you wanted to know, then, this gem weapon is one of _the_ most powerful designs that I've ever created. One side is so powerful that it could destroy a gem's form from a mile's radius, and the other side is said to be so sharp, that it could in theory, shatter a Diamond." The rainbow gem explained to Connie as the young girl shivered at the shattering part.

"Anyways, the weapon requires a lot of special stuff like I mentioned before." Bismuth said before moving on. After finding the rest of the Tungsten, the team moved on to the next area. "Perfect, now all we need are a few more pieces and I can fix this thing...uh you guys know where we're going right?" Peridot stated before asking with slight annoyance.

The team chose to ignore that question, even Lapis did for that matter. "Hmm...one thing though, if we're seeing all these new light creatures, maybe it means that she's nearby perhaps?" Nephrite asked after thinking about it for a few moments. "Yes...this definately is a strange behaviour for a Hessonite." Peridot stated from her homeworld knowledge. "Oh? How zo Pairidot?" Citrine asked. "It's quite simple Citrine. Hessonites are important military commanders who lead invasions...but strangely, it's definitely not normal for a one to go around sightseeing with a prism in hand." Peridot explained, making everyone concerned. "And from what you guys have been describing it, it definitely sounds like she could be _the_ Hessonite. Thus making the whole thing ridiculous!" After speaking, Peridot laughed.

"Uh...I didn't understand any of that. Could you explain a little further please?" Imperia asked, causing Peridot to grumble. "Well...only one of the most legendary heroes on Homeworld was _that_ Hessonite! Or now that I think of it, the war did happen on _this_ planet that made her famous! From what I've heard, wielding that Prism, she handily decimated countless Crystal Gems and..." As she continued speaking, Peridot noticed Bismuth glaring at her. "I mean...er, she should have more important things to do than travelling around Earth like this." Peridot said in surprise. "Wait...you don't thing..." Connie started, but then Lapis cut her off. "Is she only using the Prism to build up her army again?" The blue gem asked.

"Well the thing is Lapis...she's one unorganized commander, I mean leaving her troops all over the place." Peridot stated sheepishly, trying not to cause Lapis to panic. "That explains why they went all over the world." Bismuth said in realisation. "So my original Commander is going all over Earth instead of fighting...or leaving." Nephrite stated, still trying to piece a few bits together, but she decided to leave that for afterwards as everyone went through a ruined part of the battlefield. There were also quite a few more enemies along the way which seemed a lot stronger, in fact there was even a huge enemy with a cannon on his back, but the enemies were defeated either way.

As they all proceeded, there were more and more tungsten fragments that they found in harder places, but thankfully the found them all before proceeding to the next area. Bismuth suddenly became a little paranoid, mainly because she could have sworn she saw Bloodstone following her, she shrugged it off either way as they had nearly found all the fragments.

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere

(1)A hooded gem watched through an cube as the team kept fighting the light creatures and never once yielding. She was truly fascinated by the way that the gems were fighting, even if it was against their own kind. It was then that she noticed Steven's gem and gasped. "So it's true...you've revealed yourself after all these years...my friend." The gem spoke before a slight crack was heard, thus causing her to kneel.

* * *

Later on over on another part of the battlefields

Steven walked up a giant axe within the ground, tired and on the verge of collapsing along with Carnelian and Peridot. It was then they noticed another Tungsten particle which they then picked up. "This is it! This must be the last piece of tungsten we need, so now all I need to do is fix this thing, and while we're at it, we need to get to higher ground." Peridot stated before the gang began jumping from island to island in the air.

It was pretty rough and Connie nearly fell off, but luckily Steven grabbed her in time, more worried about her than usual after she was taken by Blue Diamond. It was however, a little embarrassing to him when he accidentally pulled her close to him. It took him a few moments before he realised. "How...puff..much...longer, is this going to take?!" Imperia asked in annoyance. "Oh pipe down you clod, it's not that far to go." Peridot spoke as she had the help of Lapis who flew her up to the highest point.

When everyone reached the top, they saw Peridot fixing the terminal with Lapis sitting beside her with a final piece of tungsten in hand. "You're kiddin' me right?" Bismuth groaned in shock. "No, of course not, the piece Lapis has is actually the last one. Now it' enough to repair this cloddy terminal." Peridot stated with pride, quickly putting all the pieces together before it suddenly began working again. "Aaaand, there you have it!" She added, turning on the terminal with just the push of a button. "Yay! So, what's it say? Does it show where to find Hessonite?" Steven asked with excitement.

"Indeed it does Steven." Peridot responded with pride. "Well where is she then?" Nephrite asked impatiently for some reason. "According to the terminal, Hessonite's at...the sky arena? Hmm, it's honestly a strange but quite peculiar place for a gem like herself to..." Peridot started, only to be cut off when a huge figure landed on the grassy platform that the team was on, even causing them to shake due to the enormous vibrations. "Welp, that just happened." Imperia sighed in annoyance. "Woah...this one looks tougher than the other creatures. It must be...THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE...DUKE OF STRAWBERRIES!" Steven yelped in shock as the creature swung it's shoulder morning star around without hesitation.

"SPLIT UP!" Bismuth yelled as The Duke of Strawberries tried crushing everyone with it's morning star. Thank goodness they made it out in one piece, otherwise they would've been flattened. In the process however, Steven was separated from Connie which really got him worried. The ancient being then slowly but evilly started advancing with it's mace still swinging around.

The gems tried attacking it, mainly Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, but they couldn't even lay a dent on it's armor. Bismuth then discovered a weakness which kept changing with some of the body parts of the creature. Lapis and Peridot then decided to do this one together by using Peridot's Peri-Cannon in order to blast the target, and it worked for only a moment. "Chew on this you metal clod!" Peridot yelled with every shot she fired. It was then that she suddenly ran out of ammo to fire at the weak spot. "Curses..." She muttered before she was swatted away by the mace.

"Hey, come and get me you hunk of metal!" Bismuth yelled before trying to tackle the duke to the ground with full force. It almost worked but Bismuth was grabbed and thrown at Garnet and Imperia. In that time, Steven had ran over to Connie to form Stevonnie, but the Light creature had stopped them before they even held hands. To try and help them, Imperia, Citrine and Nephrite tried to take the duke down, but even their attacks weren't enough.

Connie tried reaching for her sword to attack, but then realised that it was stuck. The Duke then turned it's gaze towards her before attempting to Suddenly, the duke felt a tap on it's shoulder and as it turned around, it saw Alexandrite standing right behind it. Alexandrite growled with anger and before the light creature knew it, it suddenly pounded her foe into the ground mercilessly as it faded into light. "Woah...take it easy girl. So...you're Alexandrite?" Bismuth asked with shock and concern. "Yeah, that's us! Why do you ask?" Alexandrite asked rhetorically. "No reason." Bismuth replied sheepishly before the huge fusion unfused.

"You ok?" Steven asked Connie as he helped her to her feet. "Yeah...that, was intense..." Connie replied, barely able to breath after nearly getting crushed by The Duke's morning star. "Yes...and while this enemy was still strong, amazing work on on your techniques everyone." Pearl complemented with reassurance. Some of the team then thanked Pearl while the rest were out of breath and totally in shock, even Carnelian fainted. "Ahem, as I was saying before we were attacked..." Peridot started, looking at the terminal for a location. "Oh yeah...the Sky Arena. That's where the Terminal said where Hessonite was located." Nephrite finished with realisation. "Nice one Nephie, now let's get going!" Steven said before the gems ran to the nearest Warp Pad.

* * *

At the Ancient Sky Arena

The team warped to the entrance of the arena before hastily running up the stairs to the main arena. On the way up however, Steven noticed the ancient Diamond Authority symbols and looked at Pink Diamond on the bottom. "Not now Steven, the prism comes first." He told himself as he caught up with the others and a few light creatures spawned all over the place. But they also saw Hessonite there too as a matter of fact. " _Leave the light creatures, they'll only give us away._ " Bismuth whispered as the team slowly sneaked over to a nearby hiding spot to spy on the garnet.

Apparently, Hessonite was having a fit because the Prism wouldn't respond to her. "Come on! Just...do it like you used to! Can't you access your memory of this place?" She said rhetorically to herself. "I'll take you back to the site of every battle we won on this miserable planet, if that's what it takes!" She continued in annoyance, causing Bismuth and Pearl to look at each other in confusion. "What is she on about?" Pearl whispered. "I think it has something to do with the Prism." Bismuth whispered back.

"Try to remember! Things were so good back then! You were **so** much stronger! **We** were unstoppable!" Hessonite still ranted, stomping her feet like a pouting child would do. Whilst overhearing the conversation, Steven noticed Connie texting to one of her friends and seemed to cover up their name. He managed to get her attention back to Hessonite as she continued. "I can't bring you back until we get this right! A Prism that doesn't want to be a weapon...What would they say if they saw you like this? _Hessonite! What's wrong with your Prism? Oh it just...activated for someone else, that's all!_ No, no, NO!" She shouted until somehow, the Prism became Light Steven, pressingly after seeing Steven behind cover.

"THAT FORM AGAIN! Why are you still thinking of that tiny human?! How did it put these silly ideas into your refraction! You don't belong to him! YOU, BELONG, TO ME!" Hessonite spoke angrily, attempting to smack the Prism. But at that moment, Steven jumped off his hiding spot, slid under Hessonite and blocked her with his shield. "NO!" He yelped with concern, quickly summoning his shield to block the punch much to Hessonite's shock and Connie's fright. The gems then surrounded the warrior before summoning their weapons. "Hessonite, we're here to..." Bismuth started, only to be cut off when Hessonite jumped passed Imperia, grabbed the Prism and teleported away.

"...Stop you?" Bismuth said with shock. "Well on the plus side, at least she didn't teleport to her ship." Carnelian said with reassurance. However, Hessonite's ship then flew off at that moment. "You waire saiéng?" Citrine said as she and Amethyst glanced at the red quartz. "Really? Again?" Steven groaned. "Don't worry everyone. It's lucky enough that she doesn't know we're still tracking her." Peridot said, using the terminal to find out where Hessonite went. "Lucky enough we hae you Peri." Lapis said with a weak smile.

"Huh...that's odd. She's returning to the Strawberry Battlefield. Maybe this terminal needs a reboot." Peridot said with confusion. Pearl and Nephrite then went over to Peridot to see what the problem was. "No, hang on a second. Those co ordinates...they're actually pointing towards the location of the Pyramid temple." Pearl said with shock. "You mean...the one that we blew up a while back?" Steven asked, recalling the day when he and the Crystal Gems went into that same temple to get a corrupted gem. "That's the one." Pearl said with a smile. "What is it with you guys and blowing up ancient temples anyway?" Peridot asked in annoyance.

"Come on, some of them weren't even our fault." Amethyst pouted to Peridot. "They were _mainly_ Amethyst's fault." Garnet stated judgmentally, causing Amethyst to frown. "So, we go back to the ancient Temple and then what?" Connie asked, unsure about what the plan was. "We find Hessonite and stop her. I've got a little score to settle with her." Nephrite stated with a confident attitude as she ran off towards the warp pad. "Huh...What's gotten her so cocky all of a sudden?" Bismuth asked, looking at Steven who shrugged in confusion.

* * *

Back at the Strawberry Battlefields

The team warped there instantaneously and Peridot immediately got to work on finding Hessonite's location. It took a while, but somehow Peridot managed to pinpoint her location. There was a huge crater and in the middle of it was some form of small pyramid. "Oh my stars...this is it." Peridot stated in amazement. "Ok, this _definitely_ wasn't here before." Steven stated as he looked around the pyramid's outside. "This... we never knew of this..." Pearl said in horror. "Then this must be where she went. We'd better get going, but be careful." Nephrite said before she went first into the Pyramid. "Welp, here goes something." Steven said, following his uncorrupted friend along with Imperia, Lapis and Connie.

Summoning her hammer, Bismuth went next as the others followed afterwards. "Is there any possibility of this being a trap?" Bismuth asked cautiously. "There could be." Garnet stated, making everyone shiver a little.

* * *

Inside the Pyramid

The gang came through the archway and found some form of stairs. Steven and Connie were about to start walking down, when two flames lit up with a bit of a roar, making Connie jump a little. "Relax, it's just those...automatic fire maker...things..." Imperia stated, feeling a little unfamiliar with ancient technology. As everyone proceeded down the stairs, Steven became a little shocked that there was another place underneath that ancient pyramid the whole time.

"Hmm...I guess it's kinda interesting that another super secret pyramid was here this whole time. So you guys really didn't knon anything about this?" Steven asked the gems. "Like you said: Super secret." Pearl stated. "Nothing familiar about this place." Amethyst said, kicking a piece of debris off the edge of the platform. "I didn't see anything about this." Garnet said, and she had a good point.

The gems then continued down the stairs, with every flame igniting upon them passing it. Lapis was a little nervous about being in a dark place, but Peridot was there for her as always. A load of stairs later, Carnelian was beginning to get tired and accidentally tripped up. "WoahwoahwoahWAAAAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as she went rolling down the stairs head first. "CARNELIAN!" Amethyst and Citrine yelped in panic before they rushed down to help their red sister. There was a loud crash at the bottom which frightened everyone.

After getting to the bottom, the gems saw Amethyst and Citrine helping Carnelian out of a huge pot which she had accidentally gotten her head stuck in. It took a few tries for the two quartz sisters, but eventually they got her out. "You have two feet don't you Carnelian?" Peridot asked the quartz who nodded with a dizzy head. "Well then why don't you use them instead of acting like a human bowling ball you clod?!" The green gem yelled in annoyance.

Looking around the place, the gems saw that this must have been a secret temple for elite gems as Bismuth would put it. "Wow, this place is so mysterious and dungeony." Steven said in awe. "Oh man, what are we gonna call it?!" He then asked with excitement. "You're going to name it now, aren't you?" Pearl asked, possibly knowing the answer already. "Hmm...how about...Pyramid O' Peril. Yep, that's the official one!" Steven said with pride, causing Connie and Lapis to giggle. "That's the thing I like about you Steven, you've got a lot of humour and habit of naming things." Nephrite said with a smile.

"Hey guys, take a look at this." Bismuth stated, noticing a huge hold within the ancient floor. "What in the name of Homeworld did this?" Imperia asked, using her gem to light up the edges. "No idea...but whatever it is, it can't be good." Bismuth stated. "It must be where Hessonite did. Let's check it out." Nephrite said as she summoned her sword and jumped down. "Nephie no wait!" Steven said, failing to prevent his friend from jumping down into the hole. Connie then tried getting Steven away from the edge, but she accidentally tripped and both kids fell into the hole.

"Steven!" Lapis shrieked as she flew down to catch her friend. "Connie!" Garnet and Pearl gasped, soon enough, the whole team jumped down the hole.

* * *

Down the hole

Steven floated down to the floor gently with Connie held rightly in his arms. Once he was safely on the floor, Steven breathed gently with relief as the other gems joined him shortly after. "Phew, that was close. But still, a good landing all the same. Anyways whe...uh Connie, you can let go now." He said before noticing Connie still clutching him. "S-Sorry about that." Connie said sheepishly as she let go of Steven.

"Oh my gosh...look at that." Bismuth said, gazing up at a mural which looked to be Rose Quartz attacking several light creatures which looked the same as the one Steven fought a while back. "Rose too on a bunch of those Prism gems along with me, Garnet and Pearl...but I never knew there were thousands of those things." Bismuth continued as she looked over at Garnet and Pearl with concern. "I heard legends on homeworld, about the Prism...about it being created by a powerful Diamond...but I never knew it was true." Peridot stated in amazement. "But...why would a Garnet like Hessonite want something that powerful?" Imperia asked in confusion.

Just then, Steven heard a distant cry in pain from a corridor, which sounded pretty familiar. "Nephrite!" Steven yelped as he ran off to find his friend. "Steven wait!" Connie cried out as she ran after her Jam Bud. "Ugh, of all the moments!" Bismuth groaned before running after the two kids.

Up ahead, Steven and Connie then ran into a gigantic hallway with a some form of rainbow path. They cautiously walked across the path as fires of different colors ignited instantly from Red to violet. "Woah..." Steven said with concern as Connie held his hand for reassurance. "I don't like the look of this place..." Connie said, clutching her sword in her hand, just in case Hessonite showed up to attack. The two kids then saw Nephrite, sprawled out on the floor in pain before they gasped in shock and ran over to her. "Ow..." She groaned before seeing Steven run up to her along with Connie.

"Nephrite, are you ok?" Steven asked with concern, helping the captain to her knees. "I'm ok, Hessonite took me by surprise and knocked me down." Nephrite responded just as the other gems caught up and went over to help her. "Wait a minute, where's Hessonite and the Prism?" Steven asked with shock before hearing her voice echo around the room. "Oh, look at this, Your new friends...here to steal what's rightfully mine." She said, revealing to be on a platform with the Prism on top of a pyramid shaped podium.

"Ugh...I should've never listened to you...especially when you abandoned me and my crew!" Nephrite hissed despite her condition. Hessonite then teleported over to Nephrite and leaned over to face the one-eyed gem. "Heheheh, says the surviving captain who only has two members of her crew left." Hearing this, Nephrite gasped as Hessonite walked around her. "Yes...I've heard about you. How you were, somehow, able to survive the final attack of the diamonds along with your two crew members. I heard everything, especially from Black Nephrite when she was retrieved. You're very lucky she was a foolish superior to you, otherwise I would have shattered your crew after you. But now that I'm on the verge of getting back my Prism's memories..." Nephrite didn't respond to Hessonite after hearing those words and instead, glared at her ex-commander.

Hessonite didn't even get to finish before Steven interrupted her. "The Prism doesn't want to be with you! It doesn't want to be a weapon!" Steven yelled, causing Hessonite to growl in anger. "And you...!" She said, teleporting over Steven and summoning a cutlass from her gem before pointing it at him.

"You're the one who ruined everything! How did you override my Prism?! All my customised settings... all our hard won battles... you've scrambled it's memory!" She shrieked in anger, frantically asking question after question. "Leave him alone! He didn't _do_ anything!" Connie hissed, putting herself between Hessonite and Steven before attempting to attack. Hessonite merely smirked at at this before effortlessly blocking the attack and grabbing Connie by her shirt. "Heh, a human? Pathetic, even our race is more superior then them." She said before throwing Connie towards the edge of the platform.

Connie ended up hanging onto the platform for her dear life, but she was slipping slightly. "Connie, hang on! I've got you!" Steven yelled, grabbing Connie's and and attempted to pull her up, but no avail came. He tried desperately to pull Connie up, but her hand slipped from his and she fell to her presumed demise, screaming. "NOOOO!" Steven cried out as tears fell from his eyes at the thought of losing his best friend and Jam Bud.

Outraged by what Hessonite did, Peridot, Amethyst and Imperia confronted Hessonite before she could reach the Prism. "HEY! You orange...fluffy...evil...CLOD!" Peridot growled, summoning her metallic boomerang. "Yeah! Nobody does that to our friend!" Amethyst yelled, summoning her two whips. "We've fought tougher foes than you, like Jasper and Black Nephrite!" Imperia spoke firmly, summoning her telepathic arrow. "Hopefully you'll be just as weak as them!" Amethyst said, attempting to whip Hessonite, only to see the Garnet grab the whip.

Hessonite then pulled Amethyst towards her before swinging her around and throwing her at Peridot, causing the two gems to fall down screaming. Imperia tried to attack with a huge arrow storm, but Hessonite swiftly punched her in the gem, sending her flying off the platform. "Guys!" Steven yelped in horror before Garnet tried to punch Hessonite but was split back into her two components who fell off the edge. Citrine and Carnelian were then both poofed and thrown off the edge too. Strangely Lapis was nowhere to be seen, but Pearl and Bismuth then engaged in battle with the Garnet, clashing with both spear and mallet.

"Ah, the renegade Pearl, and the blacksmith Bismuth." Hessonite said with a smirk. "Hessonite..." Pearl spoke with a glare. "Long time...really long time in fact." Bismuth spoke, somehow able to manage with her gem weapon. "We clashed back then...you forced us back, but you never stopped us! I'll never let you win!" Pearl continued to speak as her voice grew more angrier. "Not even me!" Bismuth growled, not even breaking a sweat. "Yes you will. We know you and your friend are in over your heads." Hessonite said, angering the two gems in the process.

"How about instead of a fight, you just ditch your friends and come along with me? I think I deserve a Pearl by now." Hessonite offered evilly. "Tch, what makes you think...ugh...she'll take that offer?" Bismuth asked rhetorically, straining a bit. "Simple, I'm a bit of a legend. Even without my prism, I always win." The Garnet explained, stating that she _didn't need the prism_? That phrase was shocking...but why would Hessonite be after the Prism then? Bismuth decided not to let it bother her for now as she and Pearl still attempted to take down Hessonite.

"No? Still want to fight? What a shame...for both of you." Hessonite said, he smirk suddenly becoming a glare. "For...P...Rose!" Pearl growled as Hessonite then kicked Bismuth back. "Rose! Oh yes...forgot about her. Either way, she'll never get to see me rise to power once again. Even without..." But before The garnet could continue, she was interrupted by Steven. "HEY HESSONITE!" He yelled before the gems looked to see Steven holding the Prism in his hands. "Is this what you _really_ want?!" He asked angrily. "Steven! Wait don't...!" Bismuth tried to warn Steven, but it was too late, the Prism emitted some kind of light, which engulfed Steven and even caused Bismuth and Pearl to fall off the platform.

* * *

Somewhere below the platforms

She felt cold...her head felt light and her right leg hurt an awful lot. It felt like she was dying, but thankfully it was only a less amount of pain that she suffered from. "Connie... Con...ca..y..he...me...?" A faint voice said, sounding like crying. Slowly but carefully, Connie started to regain consciousness. "I'm so so...I sh...hav...be...h...so..." Opening her eyes carefully, Connie saw Lapis, Sapphire and Citrine worried for Connie. "Ugh, my head..." She groaned, as she sat up and held her head. "Don't worry everyone, I told you Connie is fine." Sapphire said, causing the rest of the gems to sigh in relief.

Lapis then started crying uncontrollably as she hugged Connie. "I thought you were dead. I saw you falling and I tried catching you before you hit the floor, but it was too close. I'm sorry!" She said with Peridot holding her shoulder. "Lapis, I'm fine. Ow...I think I broke my arm, but other than that I'm fine." Connie said with reassurance, feeling her arm which she usually held her sword which stung when she tried moving it. "Garnet, what's...wait...Sahppire?!" Connie said in shock. "Oh... Yés. Dureng oot fight wiv Hezonite, Ruby and Sapphiyaire got sepairatéd." Citrine explained sheepishly.

"Wait...where's Steven?!" Connie asked, only realising that Steven wasn't amongst the gang. "Oh no! Sapphire, where's Steven?!" Lapis asked frantically. "I cannot see him. However, I do know that we will find him." Sapphire said, trying to calm Lapis down. "Wait a minute...what about the others?" Connie asked with concern. At that moment a triumphant laugh was heard from behind. "Never fear, for Peridot is here!" Peridot said as she immediately ran over to Connie with Steven's Cheeseburger Backpack. "And look what I managed to get." She said, handing Connie the backpack. "Nice going Peri, how'd you get this?" Lapis asked with a smile. "Steven dropped it when he tried to save Connie, so I took ahold of it for him." Peridot said with pride.

Peri then took out a first aid kit from within the backpack, got a bandage and wrapped Connie's broken arm in it. "Ow...thanks. I don't think I'll be able to fight in my condition until we find Steven again." Connie stated, trying to grab her sword but faltered when she tried moving her arm. "I'll help you Connie. All you have to do is sit here while we do the rest." Peridot said, giving Citrine the sword temporarily. "Thanks Peridot...so Sapphire, can you take us to the others?" Connie said, stroking Peridot's hair before turning to Sapphire. "I can. Ruby is already with them." Sapphire replied with a smile. "Right, we'll need two keys to unlock this door, I'll go down this path, you and Citrine take the other way." Lapis said, attempting to walk down the tunnel to find the Key on her own.

"B-But Lapis..." Peridot started, only to be cut off when Lapis looked at Peridot firmly, causing her to give up and go down the path with Citrine. All the while, Sapphire stayed with Connie and kept an eye on her. The young girl on the other hand, was worried about Steven. "Steven...just hold on. I wish I could know you're ok. Maybe I had the help of that Diamond from...nah, it's impossible for her to hear me." She said, sighing sadly and closing her eyes for a moment.

" _It's not that impossible Con-nee._ " A familiar voice suddenly spoke from thin air. "Who said that?" Connie said, frantically looking around the place for the source of the voice. " _You cannot see me, but I can see you. Let me show you from MY point of view._ " The voice spoke again, suddenly causing Connie's eyes to turn red as she looked around an unfamiliar planet with red, pink and purple gems roaming around the place and interacting with other lifeforms.

Connie then looked behind to see a familiar red figure, Red Diamond. "It's certainly been some time young one." Scarlet spoke with a smile, observing Connie. "Woah...how did you...?" Before Connie could finish, Red cut her off. " _Omni-senses and Trans-dimensional communication, it's what I use to view parts of the galaxy for barren planets instead of ones full of life. It's all for the purpose of sparing life from destruction._ " She explained with a smile.

"Anyways, I need your help, can you find Steven for me?" Connie asked as Red Diamond then used her eye to search around for her friend. "I can see him...but he's far away. Normally I can see everything, but something mystical is making me see him from a great distance." Red Diamond said as she looked back at Connie. "I can tell you how to get there, but you must follow these specific directions. I will explain when you retrieve the two keys." After speaking, Red Diamond then released Connie from her vision, and the young girl found herself back in the cavern.

She looked to see Sapphire and the others looking right at her. "Are you alright Connie? You passed out for a moment." Sapphire spoke with a hint of concern. "I'm alright...did I miss anything?" Connie said with a question. "Well, not much, apart from Peridot being right. I got lost trying to find that key, but I found it in the end." Lapis spoke sheepishly as she and Peridot placed the two keys into the slots, opening the door in the process. "Yes! Can you believe it's once again up to the Newsest Crystal Gems to save the day?! I knew it wouldn't be long before it came to this once again! How lucky are they to have new gems, like me, Lapis, Citrine, Carnelian or even Imperia?" Peridot said with excitement. "Peridot, it's best to focus." Sapphire said coldly, passing Peridot in the process.

"Oh...right." Peridot said glumly. "C'mon, you guys. We gotta find out-ow! Friends..." Connie said as she winced because of the broken arm. "Easy there Connie..." Lapis said, helping the young girl along in the process. "She's right you know Connié. Don't push yurself, you'll be fine once we gét you to Steven." Citrine added firmly before the gems continued their journey to find the others. Thanks to the directions given by Red Diamond, Connie was able to help the gang out. "Also...Sapphire. About Hessonite...she's..." Connie was then interrupted by Sapphire with her future vision. "Powerful." She spoke. "Yes, and so...merciless. I guess this is the nature of having an enemy...or a lot of them." Connie added, shivering a little. "Not all Homeworld Gems are this way. But yes, we must not forget what we're up against." Sapphire said sadly. "If she's done anything to harm Steven, I'm gonna..." Connie started with anger before she realised, that that's what Bismuth would say, so she kept her mouth shut after realising.

"Woah... I 'ave nevair seen zat side of you befaire Conni." Citrine said to herself in shock before looking at Lapis and Peridot.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere

Bismuth worke up, having landed on top of a huge rock Pile. "Ow...wow...that hurt." She groaned in pain, getting up from the pile to see Ruby arguing with Imperia and Carnelian. "ARGH! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT IMPERIAL TOPAZ!" Ruby screamed in anger. "Ow, don't blame me. Hessonite cracked my gem, I couldn't summon my arrow in time!" Imperia roared back. "This is really crazy! You guys are nuts!" Carnelian yelled before tackling the two gems to the ground and starting a fight with them.

All the while however, Pearl, Amethyst and Bismuth watched in concern before Pearl decided to break up the figting. "That's enough everyone! Now Ruby... Let's stay calm and think this through." Pearl started, only to be cut off by the red quartz. "I'm with Ruby! Now seems like a pretty good time to start hitting things!" Carnelian groaned in annoyance. "YEAH!" Ruby growled. "Hey! You know, this isn't going to get us anywhere!" Imperia said firmly. "I dunno Imperia. DO I know that? OF COURSE I DON'T, WE LOST STEVEN AND I LOST CITRINE!" Amethyst yelled in anger, but calmed down by Pearl. "Amethyst...it's going to be alright, we'll find her and Steven, and hopefully we'll run into Citrine along the way too." She purred, hugging Amethyst who nearly cried.

"I...I don't wanna lose her again. She's my sister, and I..." She said through her tears, but cut off when Bismuth. "Yeah...I feel you Amethyst. It's just like me, only I miss the gals." She said before turning away sadly. "Bismuth had to poof Biggs and the others, she said that she was afraid of them scaring anyone in Beach City..." Imperia explained before her form started to glitch slightly. "Rgh! C'mon! We gotta find Steven and fix your gem Imperia!" Ruby growled, grabbing Imperia by the leg and immediately dragging her down a path before the gang followed her.

Down the hallway, the gems had to overcome a lot of ancient puzzles in order to advance further, bringing them one step closer to finding the rest of the team. Ruby was pretty angry with every obsitcle though, but deep down, she was worried sick for Sapphire's safety. " _Relax Ruby. Sapphire is safe, just follow the path and you'll find her again._ " Red Diamond spoke to Ruby with her powers, giving the gem a bit of hope.

Surprisingly, there were light creatures down in the cavern, but due to her not being fuse, Ruby couldn't fight. She was bummed out when Pearl and Amethyst fused into Opal to take down the creatures. "Aw, it's so much easier when we're Garnet." She said poutfully before continuing along the path. Along the way however, Bismuth passed what looked to be an ancient tablet containing their language. "Woah...hey Pearl, get a load of this." She said, gaining everyone's attention. "Hey, sometimes I know about Gem stuff too! No one ever asks me." Amethyst pouted. "Let me see, it seems to say: _Look between the sun as it sinks into the sea. There you will find the color of the key._ " Pearl said, reading the ancient riddle.

"Hmm...I'm unfamiliar with that riddle...but why do I get the feeling it'll be important?" Imperia said to herself before the group continued. "Cmooon! Let's gooo!" Ruby pouted, which quickened their pace a bit to avoid her tantrums. When the gems saw another puzzle, Imperia then realised what it meant and flipped the green switch amongst the others which proved to be the right one. As they moved on however, the gang were soon concerned about Steven and what happened to him.

* * *

Back with Steven however...

 _The young boy woke up in shock, in an unfamiliar place without anyone there. "C...Connie?! Garnet?! Bismuth?! Lapis?! Anyone?! Woah...they must be looking for me! Wait...where even am I?!" Steven said to himself in shock. He then decided to look around the place for a way out, but while he walked, he couldn't find anyone, anything or even an exit._

 _"Hellloooo?" He called out. "Any mean light monsters about?!" Waiting for a response, Steven thankfully didn't see any monsters, which was a good sign. "Anyone?" Steven then said, worried about being alone. He sat down for a brief moment, collecting his thoughts on what could've happened, when sometihng caught his eye. It was sparkly from a distance and seemed to be the only thing that caught Steven's attention. "That sparkly thing! Maybe that's a way out..." He said to himself before running over to whatever that thing was._

 _When he got closer, Steven touched the sparkling pillar, causing it to open up and reveal...an image. Suddenly, Steven was shocked upon realising...that there were two figures he recognised in it. One was Hessonite, bowing in respect. And the second...was Yellow Diamond, handing Hessonite what looked to be the Prism. "Is that... YELLOW DIAMOND?! And Hessonite... Woah...this is like...some sort of home movie! A Homeworld movie!" He said in shock before laughing at his own joke, oblivious to a small figure in the background looking in disappointment at the yellow tyrant._

 _Steven then noticed another sparkling Pillar before he walked over to it. After touching the pillar, Steven then saw another image, this one was about Hessonite, holding her Prism with pride whilst every gem around her applauding her, like she was some kind of hero. The small figure appeared once again in the background, looking more disappointed more than ever. "Man, I'm really starting to get sick of her. Although, here she looks... happy? Hmm...who's that gem though?" Steven said to himself before walking on to the next pillar._

 _But when he touched this one, he saw an image of Hessonite sitting evilly in a seat with the Prism at hand whist two White Light Creatures attacked two Crystal Gems from the look of it. "Oh man...I don't like where this is going..." Steven said to himself in fear, hastfully moving onto the next pillar which wasn't too far. But when he touched it, he saw Hessonite losing the Prism to that same small gem from before and other other familiar gem... "Is that...Mom?! Wait a minute, these visions...this was here on Earth! Duriing the Gem rebellion!" Seeing Rose fighting Hessonite, Steven was quite glad that his own mother faught against that tyrant, although, there was a smal glimpse of Black Diamond in the image which Steven failed to notice._

 _Moving onto the next pillar, Steven then saw the Prism on the ground as Hessonite's ship blasted off right before the Diamonds launched their final attack. The image then shifted to the Prism being left dormant in the ground for years. Steven was absolutely shocked by this discovery. "Woah...that was...when she left the Prism." He said before being engulfed in a bright light once more, although, he managed to notice a final memory. One involving the small gem smiling with the Prism in her possession, seeming happy._

* * *

"Steven...Steven!" Connie's voice said, echoing through his head. Opening his eyes slowly at first, Steven then saw Lapis, Peridot, Citrine and Sapphire worried about the young boy, but he then turned to see Connie, desperately trying to wake him up on the verge of tears. "Uhh...Connie...wait, Connie?! You're ok!" Steven said, quickly embracing his friend who winced in pain at first, but then embraced him too. "I thought you died, I was really worried and...oh no, your arm." Steven sobbed before noticing Connie's bandaged arm. "Yeah...I broke it when I hit the floor, actually...you should thank Lapis. I would've died if it wasn't for her." Connie explained, guesturing Lapis who smiled.

"Thanks Lapis, I owe you one. And...Sapphire? Oh no...not again. Where are the others?" Steven asked as Lapis blushed. Sapphire on the other hand, blushed sheepishly as she rubbed her head. " _They're close by. Just follow the path I will show you the path once you are ready._ " Red Diamond's voice spoke through Steven's mind. "Red Diamond? Wow...It's definately been some time." Steven said sheepishly. " _Indeed Rose. Yes, don't think I don't recognise your gemstone, although you don't look like her..._ " Hearing the voice now sounding a bit cross, Steven rubbed his arm.

" _Anyways, here is the route, follow it and you will find the others._ " Red Diamond then said before giving the young boy a vision. Steven then healed Connie's arm and the gang set off to find the others. All the while, Lapis was concerned about Steven. "Steven...are you..." She started, only for Steven to cut her off. "Lapis, I'm fine. I can walk." Steven insisted despite a few parts hurting him. "I'm glad you can Steven. We all are." Sapphire said with a sigh of relief. "See! I told you guys it'd all work out!" Peridot said in triumph. "You know... Fair once Pairidot, you waire actual-lee righ." Citrine said with approval, causing Peridot to blush gratefully.

While Steven may have seemed happy to be reunited with the others, he was also thinking about how Connie could have died if Lapis wasn't there to save her or what would happen if they didn't have the Roaming Eye to get to the zoo to rescue her. All of those moments felt like really close calls which seemed to be making him uncomfortable, even made him worry about the possibilities of losing the one he... "Steven...are you sure you're ok?" Connie asked, suddenly Steven back to reality. "Y...Yeah...No. I think, something happened to me when I fell." He said, gaining Peridot's interest. "Oh? What did happen?" The green gem asked with confusion. "I think...somehow I was able to see you guys, maybe it was because of Red Diamond's powers...but mainly, I think I somehow saw the Prism's memories." Steven said from what he saw.

"What?" Connie and Peridot said in unison. "What do you mean?" Lapis asked. "I saw when the Prism was with Hessonite thousands of years ago. I think I saw how she lost it too. Then...I think that Prism she had was stolen." Steven explained. "What do you mean?" Peridot asked in confusion. "The last thing I remember seeing was the Prism being in the possession of a small gem who seemed happy with it. Maybe that gem created it, and then the Diamonds took it by force." Steven said with a possible conclusion.

"This way everyone." Sapphire said, revealing to have gone up ahead up the stairs with Citrine and waited for them. When the gang reached a huge door, they heard banging on the other side. "What's that noise?" Lapis squeaked, suddenly grabbing Peridot without realising. "Ammolite. She's trying to break down the door but she's having trouble doing that." Sapphire said with her future vision. "Come on you stupid door, just budge already!" Ammolite's voice yelled from the other side. "Tch, don't those clods know ancient gem technology when they see it?" Peridot asked rhetorically, having gotten out of Lapis' grasp and went over to a platform to flip a switch.

Upon being flipped, the door suddenly opened as Ammolite charged against it, but faltered due to it opening before she fell down the stairs with a loud crash. Peridot then laughed at their stupidity, earning a glare from Lapis. "What?" She said before noticing Bismuth and Pearl climbing back up again. "Citrine! Gurl, I thought you were shattered!" Amethyst yelled with relief. "Ai am fine Amethyst, tackling her sister to the floor. Reahlly, ai am." Citrine said with reassurance. "Oh Steven, I was so worried!" Pearl said with her usual concerned personality, hugging Steven tightly in the process.

"Sapphire!" Ruby yelled in relief before she and Sapphire fused back into Garnet. "Phew, that's a relief." Garnet said with a smile, putting her visor on her head once again. "It looks like the gang's all back together again." She continued, causing Steven to gasp slightly. "I don't think so...I think...Hessonite took Nephrite!" He said, causing everyone to gasp. "Oh no! I forgot, I saw her getting grabbed by that gem before she could catch me or Pearl." Bismuth said. "Then we gotta go after her!" Steven said, only to be stopped by Pearl. "Steven...wait. Are you hurt?" She asked with concern.

"No...I'm fine, really. Just feeling... a little light-headed." Steven admitted sheepishly. "Then we'd better get you outta here Steven. Uh...how do we get out Garnet?" Imperia asked with confusion. "Looks like we're going to need to work our way up." Garnet explained to Imperia. "Zen what are we waiteng fair? Come on!" Citrine said, running down one of the paths with Carnelian and Amethyst. The others then followed with annoyance, but chuckled anyway.

It was pretty hard getting back to the surface with a lot of light creatures standing in their way, but nonetheless, the gems continued to go forwards. Steven and Connie told the gems about Connie breaking her arm and they were shocked about it, but they thanked Lapis for saving her. Even though Steven wasn't bothered by it anymore, Connie could see that he was pretty worried for her safety even though she knew the risks.

* * *

Eventually

The gems made it back to the rainbow platform, once again running towards where they originally tried to fight Hessonite. "Finally...glad to be back here...but where's Hessonite?" Bismuth asked, getting a little confused...and worried too. "Dunno...I hope she hasn't left Earth, but where's the Prism?" Peridot asked, but at that moment, she felt a giant boom from behind her and noticed that the gems looked frightened. "Uh...it's right behind me isn't it?" Peridot asked sheepishly before looking behind to see the Prism's original form from when Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven fought it.

Peridot then squeaked and ran behind Lapis for protection. "Uh oh... hey, big guy..." Steven said nervously before the creature roared. "Woah...an actual Light Warrior..." Bismuth said in disbelief. The Light Warrior then turned red before firing several shots at the gems. "LOOK OUT!" Garnet yelled as the gems split up to take on the light warrior. Bismuth and Garnet then hit The Light Warrior and inflicted a really severe amount of damage to it, but then it suddenly turned green and healed itself.

"Aw come on!" Bismuth groaned before being sent flying back. At this point, the gems seemed to be losing against the light creature after firing lasers, spawning minions and a whole lot of other light powers it used. Peridot then tried building her Peri-cannon to take it down, but because of the indigo laser, the cannon exploded and it cracked her gem. "Peridot!" Lapis cried out in frighted, immediately running to her friend's side to see the damage. Peridot's gem had a long crack and looked seriously bad. Lapis then heard the light warrior running towards her, which somehow triggered something inside the blue gem.

At first, the gems thought Lapis would be poofed, but strangely though, Lapis used one of he wings to grab the warrior's fist before the other. Turning around, the blue gem then had a look of rage on her face, one which spelt trouble towards the warrior. "You dare to hurt my friend, you attack all of us, and you think you're going to get away with this?!" Lapis screamed, encasing the warrior in a water bubble before using her hydrokinesis to split it apart with brute force. The warrior disintegrated before Lapis suddenly felt light-headed and passed out.

Steven then healed Peridot's gem before she looked around. "Ow...what the heck happened?" She asked in confusion. "Lapis saved you...and then passed out. Either way, I don't think that was actually the Prism we were fighting." Steven said, helping his friend to her feet. "Wow...that was really some skill you pulled there Lapis." Bismuth said with amazement. "Heh, thanks...I never knew I had it in me." Lapis responded with a chuckle. "Well now what? I broke the computer terminal during the fall, so I don't know where Hessonite's gone?" Peridot said, showing the broken terminal.

At that moment however, Connie's phone began to ring. "Of all the moments. Just one second you guys." She said before answering her phone. "Hey Zach." _"Hey Connie, how are you?_ " "Good thanks, heh, you've kinda caught me at a bad time here." " _Don't worry about it, anyways, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to head to this malt afterwards with me and Nora?_ " "I can't...I broke my arm and my mom's looking at it." " _Oh no...how'd that happen?_ " "I accidently fell...down the stairs and broke it." " _Woah...pretty rough._ " The conversation seemed to go on for a bit much to everyone else's annoyance.

"Um...how would anyone get a signal down here?" Steven asked in confusion. "Maybe it's because of my signal gizmo, able to pick up every signal." Peridot stated, showing one of her gizmos. Suddenly, Steven began to feel lightheaded. Connie immediately noticed this and gasped slightly. "Zach, I'm gonna have to call you back, but tell Nora I said hi." She said as her friend said his goodbyes and hung up on her.

"Steven?" Connie asked with concern before Steven responded. "Sorry, it's just...my head is killing me. I..." He said before he began to have another vision.

* * *

 _The vision was a familiar sight, and Hessonite was dragging Nephrite._

 _"Well, well, well... What do we have here?" Hessonite said to herself with a wicked smile. "It's nothing important! I'll tell you that!" Nephrite said, earning a slap from her commander. "Silence you traitor!" Hessonite growled before the vision went blank._

* * *

Steven then snapped back to reality when Connie waved her hand in front of him. "You ok?" Connie asked with concern. "Yeah...I saw Hessonite. She has Nephrite, and it looks like they're both at the Forge." Steven explained after rubbing his head. "WHAT?!" The gems said in shock. "Wait a minute, how could she find it? Homeworld never even knew about the forge!" Pearl said in shock. "But if she's at my Forge then...oh no..." Bismuth said in horror. "We gotta get back there now!" Bismuth said, grabbing Steven and Connie before making a mad dash for the nearest warp pad. "Why are you in a hurry?" Connie asked in shock.

"She might try steal the breaking point! And maybe...she might try to steal the plans to the Star Slicer!" Bismuth explained as the she warped back to her forge.

* * *

Back at the forge

Garnet and the others caught up with Bismuth and saw the gem frantically searching through the place for any signs of the breaking point or the plans for the star slicer itself, meaning she was pretty worried. "Bismuth...what happened?" Amethyst asked in confusion. "She took them...the plans and the weapon..." The rainbow gem said in shock. "We looked everywhere, but we couldn't find it." Connie explained. "But if Hessonite is here, this could be for one reason: to use the power of the Forge to upgrade the Prism's constructs." Pearl said.

"But why she took the plans for the Star Slicer, I don't think we'll know. She's still here, so we gotta go find her." Bismuth groaned before heading to the spot where she usually has her Lava shower. "But how? There's no other place in the Forge?" Connie stated in confusion. "Looks can be deciving." Bismuth said, shapeshifting her fist into another key that she used to open another door behind the lava shower. "That's new..." Steven said in amazment before the gems went after Hessonite. "Steven, how's your head?" Connie asked, placing a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Still sorta... wonky, like when I was seeing that stuff from the Prism." He said sheepishly.

"But if you saw Hessonite... is it possible that she saw you Steven?" Imperia asked in confusion. "Well...what if that's the reason she knew about the Forge?" Steven asked in shock. "Come on kiddo, there's nothing you could've done to stop it." Bismuth said as Connie nodded in agreement, causing Steven to smile. "Now come on you rocks, let's go get that orange fluffy Garnet!" Bismuth then yelled as the gems ran with her.

The gems were then lead by Bismuth who guided everyone through countless passage ways to where she figured Hessonite would've gone next within the Forge. All the while, she was pretty concerned about the plans for the Star Slicer, if Hessonite took them, then there was a strong possibility that she'd try to use them for the Prism's new constructs.

She was also disgusted that there were light creatures all over the Forge. "Get outta my forge you uppercrusts!" She growled, demolishing every light creature in sight. After that, the gems came across a huge statue of a familiar gem. "Steven...is that...?" Connie started, only to let Steven finish. "Mom..." "Rose..." Steven said at the same time, Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine and Pearl spoke. "Woah...this is definately new." Amethyst spoke. "Yeah...I...I was working on this, before... I wanted to show Rose...but I never got the chance..." Bismuth explained, rubbing her arm before handing out a phrase on Rose before Steven and Pearl read it.

" _To our fearless leader. You gave us everything. You made us who we are. I would do anything for your cause. I would do anything for you. Bismuth._ " Pearl read, briefly seeing Bismuth shed a single tear. "Oh Bismuth..." Pearl said, teary eyed. "Yeah...I know... If only we could spend one more day with Rose." Bismuth said with a smile as Pearl embraced her. Seeing this, restored a bit of faith for Steven. "Anyway, we better continue. We can't let Hessonite get away." He said, making his way to the top before looking back at the statue of Rose with a smile, failing to notice a shadow on the wall smiling back at him.

Further on through the Forge however

Steven had begun to feel lightheaded once more as he heard voices instead of seeing a vision. _"Looks like we'll need to do this the hard way." Hessonite said. "No! You can't do this to the Prism!" Nephrite's voice yelled. "Silence! Anyway, I wonder what good this...Star Slicer will do anyway? It looks pretty powerful." Hearing this, Steven immediately knew what was going on and quickly woke up._

"I saw Hessonite again! She's using the Forge to make the Prism stronger with the plans of the Star Slicer somehow." Steven explained, causing Bismuth to yelp in panic upon hearing about the Star Slicer. "What?! How do you mean somehow?!" She asked in shock. "Beats me, I mean, I don't know how any of this wacky Prism stuff works!" Steven said sheepishly.

"We gotta keep going, we can't let that garnet using my weapon for her own gain!" Bismuth yelled, charging through the forge to catch up with Hessonite, fighting light creatures where ever they were and no matter how strong they were. Bismuth eventually stopped when they reached the core of the Forge. "This is the place! Hessonite was standing right over there when I heard her last." Steven said, pointing to a platform in front of a lava falls. "Drat...we must have missed her by a second." Peridot said, grumbling in the process.

"We can't stop now. The only othe place she could be is outside. Follow me!" Bismuth yelled, showing the gems the way out through another exit from the forge.

* * *

Outside the Forge

The team were just in time to see Hessonite's ship, unfortunately it blasted off before they could catch it.

"COME BACK YOU CLOD!" Peridot screamed in anger. "Rgh, so close..." Bismuth groaned. Everyone was worried about what they were going to do next when Steven had another headache. "Ugh, I think...I've got another Prism vision coming...it's powerfull...ow...and painful..." He groaned before the vision came up.

 _Hessonite's ship was flying towards a much larger ship...but that's all he could get before the vision faded._

"Steven...are you ok?" Lapis asked, crouching to his height with concern. "Yeah...and I saw more mega important stuff." Steven responded. "She hasn't gone back to Homeworld. She just flew to a super ginormous ship, floating just above the Earth!" He continued, explaining what he saw in his vision. "A Hessonite warship..." Peridot said in shock. "Oh great...now we'll never catch her. Unless someone has a better plan." Carnelian groaned in annoyance.

Steven then thought for a moment, and then realised that there was _someome_ who could get them onto the warship. "Welp, luckily I know a very large, very fluffy pink friend who just might be able to assist us..." Steven said with a smirk. Connie immediately knew who it was, but some of the gems didn't know. "Is this Pink Diamond you're talking about? Because she's been shattered in case you've forgotten." Imperia stated. "Uh, it's Lion, in case that wasn't obvious. Anyways, we gotta get back to Beach City!" Steven said before he and Connie fused into Stevonnie and floated down to the warp pad.

"Wow...I don't know how those two kids do it, but they're adorable together." Bismuth stated before everyone followed her down.

* * *

Back at the Beach House

Greg had was there, waiting outside the bathroom. "You ok in there sweet pea? Just be sure to let me know when you're..." He started, but cut off when he heard the warp pad going off. "Woah...uh, Hi Steven. I just..." Greg started nervously before being cut off by Steven. "Hi Dad, sorry I can't talk. I'll be back later!" Steven said all at once without stopping as he and the gems ran out the door hastefully. "Phew, that was a close one..." Greg sighed in relief. "Who was that?" A small voice asked in confusion. "Um...no one sweet pea." He responded sheepishly.

* * *

Up by the big lighthouse

Lion was having a nap and never even noticed Steven approaching him. "LIIIIIOOOOOONNNNNN!" Steven yelled with joy. But thankfully, it didn't wake him in the slightest...which was more of a downer for the gems. "Look, buddy, you're probably having a great dream again where you ate all the ice cream in the world, but we really need your help. Can you do us a solid and lend us some of that patented Lion warpy magic?" Steven said, requesting from Lion who immediately got to his feet and roared proudly.

"Alright, climb on everyone." Steven said as he got on Lion's back along with Connie who then held onto him. The smaller gems and Imperia went into Lion's mane just to make sure they weren't taking up space while Garnet, Bismuth and Pearl hopped on. "Alright, Lion. Take us to..." Steven started, but suddenly felt shaking from behind. He looked to see Garnet shivering, like she had seen a horrible future in her vision.

"Hey Garnet...are you alright?" Steven asked with concern. "Sorry...I just...saw a future where you gave the Prism back to Hessonite...and she uses it to conquer more planets. Plus, Connie is also afraid of that." Garnet explained, causing Steven to gasp. "N-No...that's not gonna happen..." Steven said in disbelief. "Is there one where Hessonite doesn't get the Prism?" Connie suddenly asked, hoping there was.

"Yes. It's one of the possible futures...so it's impossible, but I know you'll make the right choice Steven." Garnet then said with reassurance as Steven then had a look of determination on his face. "Yeah...if my decisions can change the future, then let's do it. Alright Lion, let's go." Steven said as Lion proudly nodded his head before opening a portal to Hessonite's warship.

* * *

On Hessonite's warship

Nephrite was locked in an energy prison whilst looking at Hessonite who gloated over her Prism. "HEY! HESSIE! Over here!" Nephrite yelled, gaining her commander's attention. "You have your little toy, now let me go!" She continued, refusing to stop attempting to break out of her energy prison. "Heheh, I can't let you go. You'd get your little friends on me. Not that it matters now that I have full control of my Prism once again." Hessonite said before hearing a door open.

"Hessonite, this ends now!" Pearl called out as Bismuth and Garnet came beside her. "Yeah, you fluffy uppercrust! Give back those plans for the Star Slicer or I'll use brute force!" Bismuth yelled, not even making Hessonite listen. "The day we evacuated this planet, once Pink Diamond was shattered, I had to get my troops out so quickly... so fast... there was no way to go back for it. No time." Hessonite started, her voice soon growing with rage. "Why did we have to leave so quickly, if the Crystal Gems were just going to survive?! WHY did I have to leave my Prism... only for someone like you to steal it?!" She growled, glaring at Steven in the process.

"It's because it was never your's in the first place! Yellow Diamond might have given it to you, but it was stolen! I know _who_ originally created that Prism, I know because... _she's_ a Crystal gem too!" Bismuth yelled back, summoning her mallet and shapeshifting her hand. "Yes! Take that your orange fluffy clod!" Peridot said with pride and excitement. "Look...Hessonite. Listen to me. The Prism, it doesn't..." Steven started, getting Past Bismuth and Pearl before Hessonite cut him off.

"Don't you dare tell me what you think it wants! Look at you, acting as though you have the moral high ground! You're a thief. You stole my property. You took my great weapon, and you broke it!" Hessonite said insultingly. "The only thief I see...is you." Bismuth said calmly. "You're the ones who took the breaking point and my plans for the Star Slicer, and I want them back!" She continued.

"Oh really? Well...those plans were a bit...all over the place, but I did you a favor and built that weapon myself." Speaking this, Hessonite revealed a golden Bismuth, nervously holding a gold version of the top of Bismuth's weapon and handing it to Hessonite.

That Gold Bismuth however, seemed familiar to the Bismuth Steven knew. "You..." She said in shock, immediately as the gold Bismuth hid after handing her superior the weapon. "And as for the Prism...you'll be relieved to know that I've finally fixed it. Isn't that right?" Hessonite said, looking at her Prism. "Yes. I belong to Hessonite." The Prism spoke, causing everyone to gasp in shock. "You see? Now then, what's an appropriate punishment for theft and unauthorized activation of a Prism? Hm..." Hessonite asked herself rhetorically.

"I think... killing you all, with that very same Prism. Yes, that seems _very_ appropriate." She said before then getting the Prism to become a fully upgraded version of itself from Bismuth's Forge. Not only that, but Hessonite then threw the Star Slicer onto the constructed Light Warrior, giving it a hand version of Bismuth's idea for the Star Slicer. "Oh no...we're so doomed." Carnelian said in shock. The crystal gems then tried taking on the Prism, but it wasn't any good when the Prism took them down with an amazing blow of colors.

All the while, the Gold Bismuth just watched, hesitant at seeing her old building partner. "You're not gonna let your old pal die because of this are you?" A voice suddenly spoke.

It was then that a tiny gem appeared on the Bismuth's shoulder, looking innocent and was full of concern. "My shoulder Pebble." The Bismuth said with surprise. The innocent pebble was about to speak until another pebble, an evil looking pebble, spoke up on Bismuth's other shoulder.

"Don't listen to that clod, she's trying to lead you down the path of goodness. I'm gonna lead you down the path that rules." She said devilishly, attempting the gold Bismuth to do the wrong thing all together. "Oh stop it." "You stop it." "You!" "You!" "You" "You, Eternally." The two Pebbles argued, which resulted in the evil pebble winning as the good pebble growled in annoyance.

The evil pebble then projected a holographic screen which seemed to have a tiny list. "Listen up Goldie, I've got three perfect reasons why you should let them die. Reason 1, look at clod! She's got the work of a pathetic upperclass gem." She said, making fun of the good pebble's dress.

"We've been through this. It makes me look import." The good pebble said in her defence. "No, no, no. It looks hideous, and it's also baggy." The evil pebble mocked with a giggle. "Beautiful and Graceful." The good pebble corrected in annoyance.

"Reason 2, look what I can do." The evil pebble continued, doing a lot of skills with her shapeshifting hands whilst giggling. "Uh...how does this relate to what's going on right now?" The Gold Bismuth asked in confusion. "Actually, she's got a good point." The good pebble stated with shock.

"Look, you two. You're really confusing me so...um, get lost, or you know, however you guys leave when you're not needed anymore." Gold Bismuth said sheepishly before the two pebbles jumped off. "Ok." They said, understanding how they were confusing the Bismuth.

The gold Bismuth then looked back at the crystal gems who seemed to be on the verge of defeat, even with Steven trying to convince the Prism that it wasn't a weapon. Deciding out of fear, The Gold Bismuth quickly hit the Prism on it's center piece, which weakened it and scrambled it's memory a little. She would've been shattered for that, but thankfully Hessonite didn't know.

Imperia then noticed this and saw it as an opportunity to take down the Prism, and it managed to knock it over, just in time before it fired a red fireball towards the ceiling and back down onto the Prism, inflicting a huge amount of damage. "phew, that was close." Bismuth said with relief, helping Pearl to her feet. The Prism then attempted to attack Connie, but Steven stopped it just in time. "Stop! Prism...is this really what _you_ want?" The young boy asked with pleading eyes. After a moment of considering this, the Prism somehow stopped attacking all together.

Hessonite then noticed this, and boy was she not happy. "End this, Now!" She commanded, but the Prism didn't listen. "Destroy STEVEN!" She ordered again, the same result happened. Gold Bismuth then noticed that Nephrite had finally broken out of her energy prison and was planning to attack Hessonite in secret before she noticed what was happening. "UNBELIEVABLE! You're _still_ listening to him?! Fine...looks like I'll just have to deal with them myself." Hessonite said, teleporting down in front of the gems before facing them. "Goldsmuth, get over here and help me destroy these pathetic gems!" Hearing this, The gold Bismuth known as Goldsmuth immediately ran over to her superior in fear.

"Finally...I've been _meaning_ , to ask _you_ a few questions." Bismuth said, shapeshifting her left hand into an axe while summoning her mallet with the right. "Ha, looks like you're about to meet your end Blacksmith! Especially your pathetic leader, Rose Quartz!" Hessonite hissed with a smile, causing Bismuth to charge right at the garnet and tackle her to the floor with Pearl immediatly following her. All the while, the other gems, looked at Goldsmuth as she waved sheepishly.

Bismuth, Pearl and Hessonite harshfully clashed, all three weapons swiftly blocking the attacks, but also doing a bit of damage to in desperation to defeating each other. "Is that all you got you fluffy uppercrust? 'Cause I can do this all day!" Bismuth growled, immediately swiping Hessonite off her feet with her mallet. "No! I've still got something left." Hessonite said with a smirk, kicking Bismuth back with both her legs, causing her to fall on top of Pearl.

Hessonite then tried to slash Connie quickly, but thankfully Nephrite got the drop on her and instantly used her sword to block the attack. "What?! Nephrite Facet-413 Cabochon-12, what in the stars are you doing?!" She asked in anger. "Attending to my resignation ma'am." She said with a smirk before Connie joined her, and together they both took on Hessonite. "Wow...you're a pretty good fighter, aren't you?" Connie complemented with amazement. "Yep, I sure am. Although...I can hardly remember most of my life back on homeworld...but nevermind." Nephrite said, before turning back to her ex-commander. The other gems then gave the two girls a hand, and had nearly defeated her, but then Hessonite used some form of attack which blew them back.

She attempted to grab Steven, but then Bismuth somehow used her shapeshifting abilities to grab Hessonite. "You slippery little uppercrust, I got you now." Bismuth said, throwing Hessonite towards the wall and causing her to slam her back off it before falling to the floor. Hessonite then noticed the plans for the star slicer and the Breaking Point were both right there on the floor, but she was immediately denied of it when Bismuth took them back. "Thanks you for returning these. And as for you...I'm gonna ask you a few questions." Bismuth said, turning towards Goldsmuth, who was held by Garnet.

"Wait...it wasn't you was it?" Goldsmuth asked in confusion, causing Bismuth to stop in her tracks. "What wasn't me?" Bismuth asked in confusion. "The one who knocked our build onto Pink Diamond. It was either you or Bismuth 1SL who did it. I figured it was her bec..." Goldsmuth started, but stopping to realise what that was all about. "Oh my stars...you thought it was me?! No! I swear, it wasn't me! It wasn't!" Goldsmuth revealed, causing Bismuth to drop her breaking point in annoyance. "She's not the one, let her go Garnet." Bismuth said before Goldsmuth ran behind Steven in fear.

"She was one of the Bismuths you mentioned." Steven said in realisation. "Yep...but not the one I'm after, but I've got a clue on _who_ it is now." Bismuth said, picking up her weapon an turning towards Hessonite with expectance. "Alright you clod...any last words?" Peridot asked, preparing her Peri-cannon to fire at Hessonite. "It's me..." Hessonite spoke softly. "Well of course it's you, who else are we dealing with?" Amethyst asked rhetorically. "NO! I mean, it's _me_ that's defective." Hessonite then said to herself in defeat, barely able to stand on her feet as she saw the Prism floating between the Crystal Gems and herself.

Steven and Connie looked at each other in confusion before they looked at Hessonite. "I was supposed to be perfect. They always said I would be. I knew it wasn't true. I needed the Prism. Not the other way around. I lost it. I left it here. Now I can never get it back." The Crystal Gems were shocked when they heard this from Hessonite, even Goldsmuth was upon her going to her side. "Of course it activated for someone else. You...It should just belong to you. Take it." Hessonite said, looking at Steven who seemed pretty uncomfortable with this decision.

"No! It doesn't belong to anyone! It should be free to make it's own choices!" Steven spoke up firmly as Garnet smiled with approval. "Do you hear that Prism? What do _you_ want?" Hearing this, the Prism then floated for a moment, before starting to speak. "I want to..." It started to speak as everyone looked at it with concern, even Garnet was worred with it's decision.

"...to stay on Earth." It finished, floating over to Steven and turning on it's true side before projecting a familiar light version of someone. "Light Steven!" Steven said with amazement as the Light boy came over to hug the two kids. "It's reall good to see you again! But..." Steven started before Connie then stepped in to help him. "You don't have to keep being Steven! You can just be..." She said before finishing with Steven. "You." Hearing each other finish, the two kids looked at each other before blushing.

The Prism then retracted it's form of Steven and then retained it's form as a Prism. "Heh, you're a wise little creature, aren't you?" Hessonite then spoke up, attracting everyone's attention. "Such an amusing end. For thousands of years I wanted nothing more than to have my Prism back, nut now, here it is, and...Ha. I'm leaving it again." She spoke as Goldsmuth helped her to her feet. "Hessonite, we can't let you leave here!" Pearl said firmly, aiming her spear towards the two gems along with Bismuth who aimed her mallet at Hessonite too. "Let me leave? Hm hm hm." Hessonite said, laughing in the process.

"Maybe I'm not what they said I was. Or perhaps I am." Hearing this from her commander, Goldsmuth spoke up with a neutral attitude. "I still think so too." She said with a smile. "Shut up Goldsmuth. Either way, I've been here long enough. Farewell..." Hessonite said, before teleporting off. She somehow though, briefly noticed Steven's gemstone and recognised the cut immediately. Once she was gone however, the gems looked at each other with shock. "So now what?" Peridot asked in confusion.

* * *

Back at the Barn

The gems could finally relax after chasing Hessonite, even the other Crystal Gems had managed to defeat all the light creatures around the world. "Well, we did it team!" Peridot said in triumph. "But there's still one _very_ important thing left to do." She continued, concerning the gang for a moment. "Uh oh! Did we forget something?!" Steven asked in confusion, causing Peridot to nod. "Did we forget to fix the car wash?" "Did we leave any other light creatures loose?" "Did we lose the Breaking Point?" "Was anyone else captured?" "Was there a Diamond on Hessonite's ship?" "Has the cluster broken loose?" Hearing those questions, Peridot shook her head before speaking.

"It's my other adventure... The Are Pee Gee game! I finished it, but there's still more to do! Now I _need_ to clear it to 100% completion!" Peridot said, causing the gems to groan, and a lot of them just walked off to do their own stuff. "Ha, you do that. I think I could use a little break." Lapis said, diving into the pool and lying on the bottom. Steven smiled at this before feeling Connie tapping his shoulder. "Uh Steven, the Prism." She said, causing Steven to turn towards the Prism which was right in front of him.

"Oh, Prism! I'm so happy you're finally free! What do you think you wanna do now? Travel the world? Start a small business? Finally catch up on that book you've been reading?" Steven asked all at once before realising something. "Actually, before you do any of that stuff?...and this is totally up to you...Whaddya say to hanging out one last time?" Hearing this, the Prism then slightly nodded. "Alright! LET'S GO OUT FOR PIZZAS!" Steven then said with absolute excitement. "Great idea!" "Aw yeah! I've been waiting the whole adventure for this!" "Same hair!" "Make that three of us!" "Pizza, again?... oh alright..." "Let's do it Team." "Yeah!" The whole team said in agreement.

They were later on the beach just outside the house, watching the sunset whilst eating Pizza. Connie had gotten text messages from her two friends saying that Nora had gotten sick from trying to drink a load of smoothies and had to leave immediatly. Without her noticing, Steven saw the name Nora on one of her text messages, and then began to think about who Connie's friend was again.

THE END...of this adventure anyway

* * *

Epilogue

A few days later

Location - Planet Z Moonbase

Dark Colony of Black Diamond

Hessonite warped into Black Diamond's moon-base along with Goldsmuth, where they both saw the evil matriarch's tower in sight. " ** _Ah Hessonite, my Diamond requests your presence at once._** " Bloodstone said, appearing with her usual form. "Ah of course. Lead the way Bloodstone." Hessonite said before being lead by Bloodstone over to her Diamond who was currently talking to one of her ship commanders. Bloodstone also mentioned that the Ruby squad and Black Nephrite had completed their mission to find Jasper and were requested at Black Diamond's tower at once.

* * *

Up in the tower

Yellow Diamond was meeting up with Noir to discuss something troubling with the Diamond Authority. "I'm telling you Noir, there have been rumors about the Prophecy being true. If this is so, then it could bring down the authority, and this is a dangerous time with low resources." Yellow Diamond explained in annoyance. "But Rose Quartz is defeated, once and for all. So now there's one way to find out. Star Sapphire...go ahead and reveal our..." Noir began, only to be cut off when the yellow star sapphire spoke up. "Glory?" She asked.

"Future, I was saying show the future. Look ahead, what do you see?" Noir said, circling the sapphire in the process. " _I predict, that if you continue on your current path...you will..._ complete a full circle whilst walking around me." The sapphire said, revealing what Noir had done. "Is there anything else?" Yellow then asked in concern. "Why yes. _I predict...I predict..._ " The sapphire started, as the two Diamonds looked closer in shock. "Great pain, and anger from each of you." Speaking, the Sapphire then yanked a few hairs from Noir and tugged on Yellow Diamond's long overcoat and even ripped it in the process. "How dare you! This is my most finest outfit yet!" Yellow Diamond yelled, pulling her overcoat away in the process. "Followed by annoyance." The sapphire spoke with a smile.

"Rgh! This is ridiculous! You're just showing us what's going on now! SHOW US THE DISTANT FUTURE ON THE PROPHECY!" Noir screeched, causing her dark powers to spread all over the tower in the process before being calmed down by Yellow. "Keep your temper Noir. But if you both really wanted to know...then I will show you." The Star Sapphire spoke before using her power.

" _I predict, The Great Diamond Authority, should they continue down their genocidal path..._ " She started, making Black Diamond quite excited to hear the good news. That is, until the sapphire continued. "... _Shall be defeated by a quartz of the pink rose, and with a noble army at hand, she would eventually dismantle the diamond authority._ Nothing has changed my Diamond." She explained, causing Aureolin to gasp in anger before she blew away the smoke which destroyed the vision.

"It's not possible! And you know it!" Yellow Diamond growled in anger, grabbing the star sapphire and glaring at her. "It is possible and _she_ knows it." The sapphire spoke, glancing over to the door. "Who?" Questioning the sapphire, the door suddenly opened to reveal Hessonite and many other gems who ran in with the ruby squad, Jasper and Black Nephrite. "My Diamond! I saw her! I saw Rose Quartz!" Eyeball cried out as she ran up to her Diamond, only to be suddenly pinned to the ground. "I...it was her! Well...I saw her gem, felt her healing abilities!" She said, immediately scared of being poofed.

"She was destroyed during our final attack! Unless...hmm." Yellow Diamond said before thinking. "Noir, contact Blue. Tell her to send me an Aquamarine." She then said before looking at (2)two yellow gems who seemed to be talking to each other. "And you two! You're going with her!" Yellow ordered as they looked nervously at each other and gesturing themselves. "Yes, both of you! Now come with me at once!" After hearing this, the two gems followed Yellow along with the rubies, Black Nephrite, Drusy Quartz and Jasper.

Thus leaving Hessonite and Black Diamond alone. "I trust you were able to gain their tactics Hessie?" Black Diamond spoke without glancing at Hessonite. "Every one of them, including their weaknesses." Hessonite said, using her gemstone to project a holographic visual on how the Crystal Gems attacked their opponents and what their weaknesses were. "Excellent. Now there's a 99% chance of those weak defective gems being defeated!" Black Diamond said with satisfaction. "And the one percent?" Goldsmuth asked sheepishly before being hit in the stomach by Hessonite.

"Do not question this. All that matters is the prophecy about Rose Quartz being defeated." Noir spoke before smirking. "Maybe it's time I go see how the old girl is doing, catch up on old times, see how she's doing and... _shatter her_ while we're at it." Hearing this, Hessonite then smiled evily. "So let's go...let's go take care of this problem once and for all." Black Diamond spoke as she left the tower, oblivious to one of the rubies, Leggy, listening into the conversation.

"Oh dear...I gotta stop those guys somehow..." Leggy mumbled to herself in regret before running off to find the rest of her troop.

* * *

 **(1) This gem...is important, to the stories to come.**

 **(2) Those two gems are Topaz**

 **Aaaand, that's all folks. The Save the Light story is complete for this fanfic.**

 **Stay tuned for more chapters and I'll be sure to update soon ^^**

 **Negaboss2000 out.**


	12. Lion 4 - Alternate Ending

**Greetings from Negaboss2000 once again**

 **Back with another chapter of Adventures of the Gems**

 **Now this one, reveals a lot of stuff, so I hope you enjoy it**

 **Either way, let's go ^^**

* * *

 **Lion 4 - Alternate Ending**

Universe Residence

Beach City

Steven was watching the video tape that his mother had left him for the first time since he discovered Lion's pocket dimension ability. With the help of Peridot, Bismuth, Imperia and Lapis, Steven was trying to figure out why Rose wanted to have Steven, but so far they had no luck. It even didn't help that Lion was on the bed getting comfortable either.

 _"Steven, we can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being with you... because you're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be_..." At that moment, Steven paused the video and repeated it ad the part which said 'you're going to be extraordinary' twice before writing down the words, _extraordinary_ and _experience_.

"Ok, I think I've got something." Steven said, getting the attention of the others. "Alright, let's hear it then." Imperia said before Steven cleared his throat to gain Lion's attention too. "So what does it say?" Peridot asked in expectancy. "This time, I put together the first letter of the first word of every sentence. It spells _ittaisiaby._ " Steven said, confusing the others in the process.

"Uh...what?" Bismuth said in confusion, scratching her head in the process. "I don't think that word makes any sense Steven." Imperia said sheepishly. "Yeah...you're right, but maybe if we rearrange the letters, it says _Bait it I say_ , or _I stay a bit,_ or _I bitty Asia._ " Steven said, showing what he thought the words might mean on his notepad, but the others disagreed on it along with Lion. "Well, I bitty Asia could mean something. Maybe I'm supposed to go back to Asia? And...Bite something?" Steven asked, figuring that he'd need to do that.

"Are you insane? Last time you were in Asia, Connie was taken by Blue Diamond. I'd hate to think of the same thing happening again." Bismuth complained in shock, and she did have a good point. Sighing sadly, Steven put down his notepad and ejected the video tape from his mother before leaning back on his bed. "Why are you even stressing over this? I mean...I know Rose shattered Pink Diamond...but you're not her." Lapis stated with an attempt to try and cheer her friend up.

"I know Lapis, but...there has to be a clue somewhere. Mom said she wanted to have me. But that must mean that there's a reason." Steven said, and making a really good point. "Maybe that's the thing Steven. Perhaps the reason she wanted to have you is right in front of you, and you can't see it yet." Peridot said cheerfully, stating that she got that from an episode of Camp Pining Hearts.

"No, that's not it. I mean, there has to be something I was meant to do...as my Magical Gem Destiny. Think about it, Mom left _this_ here for me and I heard that she shattered Pink Diamond with the sword you made Bismuth. Then...she also said, _take care of **her**. _What does it all mean?" Steven said, pulling out the magical ocarina he used to heal Nephrite that day on the floor beside him.

"Who knows? Maybe the ocarina as left by accident, perhaps Rose wanted you to use it to heal all the gem monsters." Peridot stated. "But there was also a chance it could damage the mind of the user in the process. The only way to heal those gems with the ocarina is by playing it carefully, or you'd have to be a Diamond to do so." Imperia stated from what she read off the scroll.

"As for this...girl, maybe Rose meant Connie you were supposed to look after? Either that or..." Lapis started, but was cut off by Bismuth. "Hold on a moment. _Shattered Pink with the sword I made?_ Tch, please. Didn't I mention that I designed the sword to..." But before Bismuth could finish, the gang heard Lion gagging. "Come on, Lion. You're not helping here." Steven pouted in annoyance, but it soon became concerning when the huge cat was retching.

"No, no, no! Lion, if you're gonna do that, at least do it on the floor!" Steven said, preparing for something worse...but it actually turned out to be something small when Lion caughed up something with the extent of liquid splattering on the floor. "Why is it always on the bed?" Steven groaned in annoyance before noticing what Lion had coughed up.

It was a pink key with a rose symbol on it. "Oh my stars..." Peridot gasped in amazement. "Remarkable..." Imperia stated. "Magical hair-ball destiny." Steven said in amazement before Lion retched once more, ths time he spat out a half-eaten iguana creature.

* * *

After cleaning up the mess Lion made

Steven then turned his attention to the key along with everyone else. "This key...Mom must have wanted you to give this to me now. But what does it open?" He said, jumping to conclusions as he placed his hand on the bow of the key. "Hmm... Oh, hey Lion." Steven said before looking towards Lapis and Peridot.

"Wall...if that's what the key opens...yeah, it's one special (1)chest." Bismuth said sheepishly before watching the trio go into Lions mane. Once inside, Steven went up to the same chest that he had used to find the Ocarina before he closed and locked the first part of it before attempting to use the pink key.

Unfortunately, it didn't fit, it also didn't help about the fact he nearly suffocated in there. After gaining a few deep breaths, he went back in to try once more, but it failed once again. "Wrong key?" Bismuth asked Lapis and Peridot who came out of Lion's mane and nodded.

"But...if this key isn't for the second compartment of that chest, then what is it for?" Steven wondered, thinking of a few places where he thought the key could've gone.

* * *

At Rose's Secret Armory

The gang warped to the armory where Steven put his hand on the pedastool to look for something to unlock, but nothing whatsoever. "Nope, nothing to unlock here." He said with a slight hint of disappointment.

* * *

At Rose's Fountain

Steven and the gang looked around the place to find where the key might go. Eventually, they figured the key must go into the fountain. So Steven dropped the key into the fountain and waited for something to happen...

(2)But nothing happened. At this, the gang groaned in annoyance as it was a huge waste of their time. "So, noth here either?" Steven said in confusion. "Well where else would it go?" Imperia asked before Peridot came up with one suggestion.

* * *

Back in Rose's Room

The gang entered the room and tried finding something to unlock the room until Steven figured out a way. "Hey room, can you give me something this key unlocks?" Steven asked before a padlock appeared right in front of him.

Gasping with excitement, Steven then put the key into the padlock and twisted it, but when it unlocked the padlock, the lock itself disappeared. Steven groaned at this, and Peridot even laughed out loud at Steven actually believing that the room had a secret.

* * *

Back in the house.

Steven sat on the floor, scratching his own head with the key to figure out where it went. All the while, the others sat on the couch and waited. He then gasped in realisation, gaining the others' attention. "Of course, you guys I figured it out! The answers were inside me the whole time!" He said, jabbing his head with the key and falling back once it hit him.

The others winced upon seeing Steven hurt himself. "Nope, that definately wouldn't work." Lapis said without even looking at Steven. The young boy then looked up at the ceiling sadly before wondering about the key. "Where am I supposed to go? This has to unlock something. There must be someplace I haven't been." After speaking, Steven then went over to Lion. "Lion, take me somewhere new." He said.

Lion merely yawned before looking away. "Hey, come on. Where did you get this? Can you please take me there? Pleeeeease?" Steven asked, but Lion immediately knocked him down with his paw in denial. The other gems were concerned about this and immediately ran over to Steven to help him. "Pleee...eeeease?" Steven said, first muffled and then in his normal voice.

* * *

One warp to the Desert later...

Lion, after defeat, had warped the gang back to the desert where Steven had first met Lion. "Hey, this is where we first found you. Something of Mom's is hidden here, right? Take us there." Steven said as he nodded in agreement and ran towards the destination where the key went.

Lapis then said she'd take to the sky and watch for any enemies just in case, but somehow, she never noticed a figure appearing on one of the sand dunes north-west from where she was flying.

A while later, Steven was feeling a bit dehydrated and Bismuth was doing her best to keep him cool and hydrated. "Where are we going? It's been hours." Steven weakly asked. "Dunno, but hang in there, hopefully it's not farther to go." Bismuth said with reassurance.

"It's not that...Bismuth...Mom...who were you? Who am I? Garnet... Amethyst... Pearl... Citrine... They won't say it, but... I know they expect something big from me. But how can I fulfill my destiny if I don't even know what it is? Who am I supposed to be?" Steven said during the rest of the ride towards the destination.

"Hey look! I see something up ahead!" Lapis called from above, causing Steven to look up to see what appeared to be Pink monuments. "Mom?" Steven said in shock, trying to see what it was. "Rose..." Bismuth said in shock.

Upon stopping, Lion then felt Steven fall off him, getting Lapis to immediately to fly down to help him. She then used one of her wings to give Steven a bit of a drink which hydrated him again. "Thanks Lapis." Steven said, being helped to his feet with the help of his friend along with Peridot. "No prob, bob." Lapis said with a smile, finally beginning to get what Steven meant after he said a few puns to her.

"You finally know what I meant." Steven said with a smile. Lapis then giggled at this. "Oh Steven...haven't I always?" She said rhetorically. Peridot then brought both of their attention back to the landmark. It was a pair of Pink Pyramids in front of what seemed to be an old fortress.

The fortesss had a symbol for the Crystal Gems on it. "So this is it. Couldn't wr had just warped here?" Steven asked Lion who ignored him for a brief moment. "I don't think so... I tried using my Telepathic arrow just now and it faltered." Imperia said, showing proof. "Right...this is it." Steven said before walking forwards with the gang following him.

Somehow, Peridot felt a familiar set of tech within the Pyramids, but dismissed it. "Whatever's behind this door, I know it's gotta be something important." Steven said, immediately jamming the key into the lock. "Please tell me my destiny." After pleading for his curiosity, Steven turned the key and opened the door for himself and the gang to see...A palace of stuff...as Amethyst would call it anyway.

"Woah...THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!" Peridot yelled out with amazement, immediately rushing over to a few trinkets within the junk with Lapis following afterwards. Steven was shocked at this before picking up a sword which was broken from within it's sheath. "What? Is this... just Rose's trash dump?" He asked, shocked at seeing this. "More like a memory lane palace in my opinion." Bismuth said before Lion ran past her to chase a blue iguana.

"No! Please no! There was supposed to be something, anything here to tell me my purpose! This is just a landfill of garbage that Mom left behind!" Steven yelled in anger before kicking a hardhat far into the distance before he fell to his knees sadly. All the while, Bismuth was watching him and came over when he became upset.

"Come on kiddo. Not everything new is gonna show what you expect, but I'm sure you'll find it out one day." Bismuth said, rubbing Steven's hair to comfort him. "I know...it's just..." Steven started, but was cut off when another voice spoke up. "What do you all think you're doing here?" It said, gaining everyone's attention as they saw a short person in a cream cloak which seemed to blend into the sand perfectly.

Steven gasped upon seeing the figure, getting out Buddy Budwick's journal and realising that this was the Lonely Wanderer, a person who travelled the desert without getting tired. "Wow...it's you." Steven said with awe as the Wanderer looked over at him and Bismuth. "One thing though...how are you able to wander the desert? You wouldn't last a second." The rainbow gem then asked in confusion

"Do you really not recognise me old friend?" The wanderer asked, causing Bismuth to look at Steven before back at the wanderer. They then pulled up their hood to reveal themself as a female gem with tan skin, grey boots, aqua wrappings, white sparkling hair, rainbow eyes with white pupils and more importantly...a gem on her forehead, consisting of Pink, Yellow, Blue and White.

Bismuth was stunned by this gem's appearence, and it looked like one she hadn't seen in years. "Purity Diamond...boy are you a sight for really sore eyes." She said with surprise. "Indeed...but which Bismuth am I talking to?" Purity asked with a frown. "What do you mean?" Bismuth asked in confusion. "Am I talking to the one whose judgement was blind or the one who I used to know." Purity then said, making Bismuth realise what she meant.

"Look...I'm done with all that stuff now. I've changed for better." Bismuth said, secretly explaining to Purity that Rose must've told her about the breaking point which had hurt her feelings when she did hear it.

"Anyways, forgive my bluntness. I am Paragon Diamond, rather, my friends call me Purity Diamond, the most powerful diamond in existance and overall the most loyal friend to the Crystal Gems. It's a pleasure to meet you, Steven." Purity said, introducing herself to Steven. "How do you know my name?" He asked in confusion. "I've been watching you from a distance...with the help of my omni-potential powers." She said with a smile.

"Omni-Potential powers? That's so awesome, could you show us something like that?" Peridot requested with excitement. "I could...but that's not how it works." Purity said, making Peridot groan sadly.

Purity then used some form of telekinesis to lift the healing ocarina from Steven't pocket and bring it to herself for a closer look. "So...you've used my Ocarina to heal a corrupted gem...or three. T'was dangerous of you, but also very kind of you to help that gem." Purity said gratefully, looking at her ocarina.

"Wait...your orcarina? Bismuth, I thought you said it was created by rulers who came before the Diamonds Bismuth." Steven said in confusion. "Oh that's Bismuth, always telling fantasy stories. They're not real...but they are pretty good." Purity said with a smile as Steven then looked at Bismuth who smiled sheepishly.

"So...you created the ocarina?" Steven asked with sudden amazement. "Indeed I did. It's one of my many marvelous gem relics that I created. Like the Prism of Light that you saved from Hessonite's clutches." Purity said, revealing that she had also been watching that adventure too.

"So what brings all of you out here?" Purity then asked with curiosity. "Well...I found out my Mom shattered Pink Diamond and now I wanna know why she wanted to have me." Steven explained, causing Purity to give a look of surprise but it soon became a smile. "The there is something that _Rose_ did want you to do." Purity, said, using Psammokinesis to bring forth a VHS Tape hidden within the hardhat that Steven Kicked.

Steven then took the VHS tape and looked at it. "Woah...it's...another tape from Mom? Wait...who's Nora? Why does that name seem so familiar?" Steven wondered to himself before running over to Lion. "Um...what's going on Purity?" Bismuth asked in confusion. "All in good time Bismuth. For now, just follow me." Purity said before walking over to Steven.

"Lion! What is this? W-Who's Nora?" Steven asked with desperation, but only met by Lion who merely turned away from Steven. "Please Lion. I know Steven's asked a lot from you today. So please go easy on him, he deserves to know the truth." Purity said, stroking Lion's mane in the process.

Upon seeing Purity, Lion then smiled at her, like he knew her before. He then nodded before allowing everyone to climb up on top of him.

* * *

Somewhere outside Beach City

Lion warped the gang onto the road and it seemed to be somewhere outside of Beach City. "Woah, this is near Beach City. Lion, are you sure this is right...?" Steven started as the gang got off of Lion.

At that moment however, Steven heard guitar music playing in the distance. "Nora." He said, immediately running towards the source with the others following him. Lion looked at Purity in concern. "Don't worry. He'll understand. I have forseen it." She spoke before walking on towards the gang.

Steven meanwhile had made it up the hill towards the source of the music...which was actually his own Father, Greg Universe who was playing a tune on his guitar. Greg then noticed Steven before greeting him. "Oh, hey, shtu-ball." He said with surprise. "Dad?! You're Nora?" The young boy asked in shock. "Uh...who?" Greg asked with a hint of nervousness. "Nevermind, what are you doing up here?" Steven asked, giving his dad a bit of relief.

"Getting some songs figured out. Ah, this is sort of my jamming hill. Used to be a tree by the warehouse, but a 7th-grader with a flue muscled me out." Greg explained with a hint of annoyance, and right around the time when the others came up the hill where they greeted Greg.

Steven then looked away briefly before Greg noticed that he seemed down a little. "Hey, are you ok?" He asked with concern. Steven then turned around and showed the tape he found in the landfill. "I found this. Do you know what it is?" Steven asked after a long day and wanting some answers.

"Oh my gosh. I never thought I'd see this again." Greg said in amazment as he took the tape ans shocking the gang in the process. "You've seen this tape before?" Steven asked in surprise. "And you never told us about it?!" Peridot growled in annoyance.

"Of course. And no, I was gonna mention it eventually. Anyways, come here, you should see it too." Greg said as Steven followed. Peridot was about to follow too, but she noticed someone moving from the front of the van and decided to investigate.

Greg then put the VHS into the TV within the van and pressed play. Upon being played, Steven noticed that it had a smiliar set out than the tape Rose left him.

 _"He's following me now." Greg said from back then before a familiar laugh was heard. "Maybe he'll help you with your intro this time?" Rose asked happily._

"Dad?" Steven asked in confusion. "Shh! Keep watching." Greg said with excitement as the next scene played.

 _"Ok...now!" Greg said as the camera panned in to reveal himself with his famous 'Mr. Universe pose' whilst holding his guitar in hand. "They call me...Mr. Universe! Get ready, baby, 'cause you're gonna have the coolest dad this side of the cosmos." He added as he continued to strum his guitar whilst imitating a few strums._

"This is..." Steven started, but was cut off when his attention turned back to the video.

 _"I press it now, right?" Rose asked. "Do it." Greg said, but sudenly fell over. "Greg?" Rose asked with concern, but she soon laughed when the same seagull landed on the headstock of the guitar. "Can we edit this part?" Greg asked sheepishly. "No, no. It's perfect." Rose said before the video suddenly cut straight to Rose's message._

All the while, the gang had gathered around the TV to see what the upcoming part was about, not noticing a little girl was watching as well.

 _"Isn't it wonderful, Nora? This world is full of so many possibilities."_ Rose said, now seemed as if she was speaking to 'Nora' at this moment.

"...My video." Steven finished in suspicions. "Mommy..." A small voice said, catching his attention before he turned it back to the video.

 _"Each living thing has an entirely unique experience. The magnificent sights they see, the wonderful lives they live are so complicated and yet...so simple. I can't wait for you to join them." Rose continued with her wonderful voice reflecting the gang._

"This is just like the video Mom made me." Steven said as the video then revealed Rose's face just like Steven's video did.

 _"Nora, we can't both exist. But I won't be gone. I'm going to become half of you. And every moment you enjoy being yourself, that will be me, loving being with you." Rose said, soothingly towards 'Nora'._

Shocked by this, Steven immediately turned off the TV. "No! I don't understand. Why is this the same as the video you and Mom made me? Who's Nora?" Steven asked his father who then noticed the little girl behind him in surprise. "Well...N-Nora was supposed to be you." He said, wiping his tears while chuckling.

"I'm my Mom and my Sister?! What kind of destiny is this?!" Steven asked in disgust, oblivious to the word, _supposed_. "No, no. We just had it down to two names: _Steven_ , if you were a boy, and _Nora_ if you were a girl." Greg explained, trying to keep Steven from looking behind him for the moment. "So then, would Nora have the magical destiny if I wasn't here?" Steven asked with concern.

"Magical Destiny? I don't know about that." Greg said in honesty. "But Mom did. She was trying to tell me something with my tape, like a secret message. She kept leaving me...puzzle pieces. Sooner or later, I'm going to understand what I'm for!" Steven complained, tearing up in the process while the other gems finally noticed the little girl.

"Woah! Steven, it's ok. Come here. Come here." Greg said, as Steven climbed up onto the edge of the van. "Am I supposed to be...D-Did she want me to be Nora?" Steven asked sadly.

"Steven, your mother just wanted you to be yourself. When parents have a kid, they have no idea who they're gonna be. Even Garnet couldn't predict it. That's what was so exciting to your Rose, that life is full of so many possibilities, and you would get to explore them for yourself. I mean, you could've been Steven or Nora or anyone else. Plus, you can always change your name. Hey, I did." Greg explained, joking about him changing his name from Demayo to Universe.

This in turn, caused Steven to laugh a little. "So, that's the thing then. I'm just...supposed to be her kid." He then asked calmly despite getting a little sad. "Yeah...that's right. But to tell you the truth, I've been meaning to tell you something for a while." Greg said, before rubbing the back of his head and turning away.

"What is it?" Steven then asked in confusion. Greg sighed before speaking. "When you were born...what happened that day had unexpected results when you were born. And Pearl...she didn't take too kindly to it." He explained and causing Steven to gasp in confusion. "What kind of unexpected result?" He asked in confusion.

"Uh Steven...I think I found out why it was unexpected." Bismuth said to Steven, shounding like she was a bit in shock. Turning around, Steven wanted to ask why, but then he noticed a little girl, she was about a few inches shorter than him and even a little thinner than him, she had dark rose hair which was tied up in a ponytail and had some parts dyed pink, she also had freckles, wore a pair of yellow dungarees over a pink shirt and some light up sneakers.

Upon being seen, the girl looked away shyfully. "Oh hello. Sorry, I didn't notice you there. Are you lost?" Steven asked. The girl shook her head. "It's ok Sweet pea, come on over here. Don't by shy." Greg said, causing the little girl to walk over to him.

The gems were shocked by the girl being called Sweet-pea. All but Purity figured it out, why Greg wasn't with them sometimes, why Connie kept her friend's name a secret and more importantly, what the name Nora meant to Greg.

"Dad...? Did you just...call her, sweet pea?" Steven asked in confusion and surprise as his own dad sheepishly looked at him. "Um, Steven...I don't know how you're going to react to this... But Nora...well...she's your twin sister." Greg admitted, causing the two siblings to look at each other in surprise. Steven gasped at this, and Nora gasped as she put her hand on her mouth.

"Ok...didn't see this coming..." Lapis said in fright. "This...changes...everything..." Peridot said as Purity nodded her head in agreement.

To Be Continued...

* * *

 **(1) The chest in Lion's mane has two seperate compartments built into it**

 **(2) Pokemon Magikarp reference**

 **Oooh, shocking reveal to Steven eh?**

 **Well don't worry, all will be explained in the next chapter.**

 **Ayways, stay tuned and I hope you enjoyed this story.**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	13. Nora Universe

**Greetings from Negaboss2000**

 **Back with a chapter of Adventures of the Gems**

 **This time based around someone who's closely related to Steven:**

 **Nora.**

 **(Caution, this may have some bit of abuse, mainly by Pearl's hand)**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 ** _(Nora's POV)_**

 _Hello everyone, you may not know who I am, so let's do a bit of a backstory recap._

 _My name is Eleanor 'Deborah' Universe, but everyone calls me Nora._

 _I was born in the year 2000, hardly knew my mommy, and for fourteen years, I've been raised by my Uncle Andy._

 _And a lot of stuff happened during those years:_

 _I had perfect scores on my subjects,_

 _Was booked into the cooking club that I loved so much,_

 _Became a wonderful singer and a ballerina,_

 _And...uh, I also...have these, special abilities and skills, like juggling, using a pink aura some how, creating a crystal shield and even a gemstone version of an object. Yeah...I don't really talk about that._

 _Sure I've been bullied every now and then, but even after all this,_ _no matter how many times I cry, or get hit, or how hard I mess up_ _...I still love being me. Even my daddy calls me every now and then to help me out._

 _Because of this, I am the one and only child of a rock star and a mom I never knew..._

 _...or so I thought._

* * *

 **Nora Universe**

 **with Daveigh Chase**

 **as Nora**

* * *

Present Day

Beach House

Beach City

The Crystal Gems along with Nephrite and her crew were shocked. After meeting Nora, Greg brought her back to the house to introduce to everyone. But when they learned that Nora was actually Steven's Twin, they couldn't help but wonder, how Nora could exist.

All the while however, Garnet sat there looking at Nora with a smile, Amethyst was excited to see Nora again, from the look on her face, but Pearl...she turned her head away from the little girl. "Wait, wait, wait. That little girl, is your sister?!" Nephrite asked in shock. "Yeah. I can't even believe it myself. Fourteen years and I was never told about it." Steven said in a little bit of annoyance. "Really? Oh...well maybe it was for the best." Pearl said bitterly for some strange reason.

"Hey there Nora, wow, you've grown since I last saw you." Amethyst said with an excited attitude, going up to Nora who nervously nodded sheepishly. "Er...hello? What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" Amethyst said jokingly before realising that Nora was scared of her joking. "Uh, why can't she speak?" Citrine then asked in confusion, noticing Nora's silent attitude. "Nora's...never really spoken that much, when growing up I mean. She never told me the reason." Greg confessed, admitting that Nora hasn't spoken.

Garnet then got to her feet and walked over to the young girl. "Uh Garnet? What are you doing?" Bismuth asked in confusion, but never got an answer when she seperated into Ruby and Sapphire. "Hello Nora. It's been ages." Sapphire said, immediately sparking Nora's interest before she ran over and hugged the two gems. "Wait...Nora knew Ruby and Sapphire before I did? Wow...I'm getting a sense of deja vu here." Steven asked in shock before speaking to himself.

"Yeah Steven, just like you didn't about me and Sapphire at first, Nora never knew about Garnet until now." Ruby stated sheepishly. "Ugh, I can't stand this any longer!" Pearl groaned in anger before shoving Ruby and Sapphire aside, grabbing Nora's hand harshly.

"Greg, I simply told you to keep _her_ away from the house." Pearl said firmly in annoyance attempting to forcefully push Nora out the door, only to be stopped by Amethyst and her sister Citrine. "Aw come on Pearl, we haven't seen Nora in ages." The purple quartz pouted. "Yeah Pairl! Ai can't remembair le last time ai saw Naira, zo why do we 'avé to get rid of hair now?" Citrine added with annoyance.

"We've seen her now, that's all that matters, now get rid of her." Pearl said, picking up Nora and preparing to throw her out. "What's wrong about Nora?" Steven asked in confusion. "She's all human and no gemstone. She's nothing to us, so she has to go." Pearl stated, opening the door before to find a safe spot to throw Nora at. "Pearl are you crazy?! You could hurt Nora like that!" Bismuth said in shock. "That's not my problem!" Pearl said firmly, preparing to throw Nora who squirmed about, but was cut off by Garnet who had re-fused. "Pearl, enough! If Nora wants to stay, then she can! That's not for you to decide!" She yelled, immediately dragging Pearl out of the room.

"Y-Yeah...Pearl's been a little...uneasy around Nora. So aside from that, I was wondering. Since Nora's attending school here in Delmarva, I was wondering, can she stay here?" Greg asked sheepishly. "I think that would be a good idea." Purity said, suddenly appearing beside Sphalerite and Jewel. "Purity!" The other gems said as they all gathered around her with shock. "It's really you!" "Am I dreaming?" Many of the gems said with shock, asking how she survived the diamond attack, where she had been all this time etc. "Everyone remain calm. I'm still in one piece." Purity stated calmly as she teleported out of the crowd of her teammates.

"I've been in the desert for 5300 years, protecting P...Rose's memories." Purity stated, almost speaking of someone else for a slit second. Greg was about to speak about the expanding gem family but was cut off when he noticed the time on his watch. "Oh darn, I gotta get to the car wash before opening times. Steven, would you mind showing your sister around Beach City? I think she may need to get familiar with it." He said before running out the door, leaving Steven speechless. "Well...that was a bit awkward." Peridot stated sheepishly. "Well, I'm going back to the barn. See you later Steven and nice to meet you Nora." Lapis said with a smile before walking back to the warp pad with Peridot following.

"Come on Nora, I'll show you around the place." Steven said, holding out his hand towards Nora, who seemed hesitant at first, but immediately took hold of it as Pearl came walking out the temple door after saying he'd be back later. Together, they walked towards Beach City, with Steven feeling a little annoyed that he never even heard about Nora when he was born and Nora herself shyly looking away. "Hmm...on the plus side, maybe Lars will like Nora." Steven thought positively to himself.

* * *

Over at the Big Donut

The first stop towards Beach City was the Big Donut. However, what he thought about Lars was proven wrong when there was a problem as usual. "Uh...so how is this little girl related to you Steven?" Lars asked in confusion, making Nora a bit uncomfortable. "She's like me...but more human than gem." Steven explained, trying not to upset Nora. "Right..." Lars then stated, losing all interest as usual. "Lars, show some respect!" Sadie said in annoyance, hitting Lars on the knee in the process before making her way over to the little girl.

"Hello, my name is Sadie Miller, but you can call me Sadie." Sadie said kindly, introducing herself to Nora who waved sheepishly without speaking a word. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Sadie then asked jokingly. "She can't speak. From what my dad tells me, she hasn't spoken to anyone." Steven explained as Nora looked away whilst nodding her head to say it was true.

"What? She had a traumatic childhood or something?" Lars asked in annoyance, causing Nora to shake her head in shock. "Ignore him, Lars is an idiot." Sadie stated, causing Lars to grumble. "So...anyways, is there something you came for here?" She then asked. "Hmm...come to think of it, I suppose I could get a couple of doughnuts, plus a can of Sugar Shock Shut Down. Would you like one Nora?" Steven said, asking Nora who nodded her head slightly with a smile. "Tell you what Nora, how about I give you a couple of Doughnuts and a can of Sugar Shock Shut Down on the house?" Saide asked, causing Nora to nod her head in excitement.

"Wait...so Nora gets a couple of Doughnuts free but I don't?" Steven asked in confusion and shock. "Sorry Steven...just don't take it seriously, but it's only for Nora today." Sadie admitted sheepishly. "Looks pretty much like she's your replacement Steven." Lars stated, snickering in the process before Sadie went towards him and hit him. Steven then went up to the counter to pay for his doughnuts. He was a bit annoyed that this happened to him, even Nora was feeling quite uncomfortable when she noticed his expression.

* * *

Afterwards

Steven showed Nora around the rest of Beach City, he was also pretty annoyed that everyone found Nora adorable, Nanefua, Kiki and Jenny Pizza pretty much found his twin sister adorable and even gave her a couple of free samples of their food without pay, PeeDee and Ronaldo were amazed by Nora, Ronaldo started going on about a theory that she had the power of love and creativity while PeeDee was blushing all over how Nora was incredibly cute. They had found Steven cute in the past, but now he felt Jealous because of his sister being the more cute than he ever was.

It even made Nora more uncomfortable when she saw his expressions. However, on the way to Funland Arcade, Steven noticed something going on with Mayor Dewey and another man who had a cowboy hat and a businessman's suit, even Nora was confused by this.

"Ya serious? Ya wouldn't allow me ta tay-uk chahrge awf this puh-lace? Not eve-yn for a guh-reat opportunity like this?" The Cowboy asked with shock, looking like his ideas had been turned down. "It's _your_ idea for an opportunity Ian. Not to mention it's also your stupid ideology too." Mayor Dewey stated with annoyance, sounding a bit serious towards the businessman.

"Well it's possible for him to run as mayor, as his lawyer, I'd say he'd benefit your town." A kid, around 18 years old, stated. "No. The way I see it, you're going to ruin everything Ian. So thank you Ian, but no deal, so I'd like you to leave right now." After hearing this, the businessman called Ian groaned in frustration. "Rgh! Faahn. But mark maah words, this ain't ovher. Ah'll git this burg by hook or crook. Jus' wach yo-wr back Billy-boy. Squat's a hich ifin' it makes ya filthy rich. Come awn Robbie, let's gitty-up." Ian said to his lawyer who followed without another question.

Mayor Dewey was about to walk off to his office when he saw Steven and Nora looking at him. "Oh hello Steven. Who's this?" Mayor Dewey asked, immediately walking towards the kids and noticing Nora. "This is Nora, my twin sister. She's staying in Beach City to attend school in Delmarva." Steven explained to the mayor. "Huh...strange... I never knew you had a sister." Dewey admitted in surprise, making Nora a little uncomfortable. "Neither did I." Steven said, giving an annoyed glance towards Nora.

"Hello Nora. My name is Mayor Bill Dewey, the current Mayor of Beach City." However, Nora didn't respond to Dewey's greeting and only waved sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. Nora can't speak either." Steven said

"Well, I think you'll be very happy in Beach City Nora. And with my upcoming election, I'm sure it'll be even more fun for you. Either way, I have to go prepare for everything, see you around." Dewey said proudly, shaking Nora's hand gently before walking off to his office. "Oh and Steven, no hard feelings about your green friend, right?" Hearing this, Steven smiled and gave a thumbs up to Dewey to say that he was good.

* * *

Over in Funland Arcade

Steven showed Nora around the place and even had enough change to play a couple of them too. It seemed like it was going to be fun for the two twins, however...Nora refused to place Teens of Rage because she didn't like fighting, the same went Punch Buddy, and she nearly cried when the machine insulted her. She was able to go on the Tsunami ride, and she loved it, only Steven discovered that Nora loved Seahorses.

Steven then brought Nora over to a much more pleasant game, otherwise called, Meat Beat Mania. "I think you'll like this one Nora. It's pretty simple: just shake the meat, to the beat." Steven explained, handing Nora the two smaller chicken drumstick controllers. He was a bit worried about the last time he had someone on this game, but he had a positive feeling about this.

"Alright, let's see if you can handle this against me." Steven said with a grin, wanting to play against his own sister and beat her. However, when Steven turned back, he already saw Nora playing Meat Beat Mania, and boy was she good at it. She even managed to beat Steven's high score on it before losing, not even Steven was able to keep up with her. "I j...How did...What?!" He exclaimed in shock. Nora nearly freaked out of his outburst, but thankfully, Steven reassured her. "Come on Nora, I'll show you one other place that's fun." He then said, hoping one other place would cheer his sister up.

* * *

Over at Beach City Funland

Steven decided that maybe Nora could enjoy the rides at the best amusement park in Beach City. "Come on Nora, I think you'll love this place. I come here all the time with the gems." Steven said with excitement, although when he looked back at Nora, she had a worried look upon her face, but he went along with it anyway and Nora smiled a little, thinking that maybe this was going to be fun.

The first thing Steven wanted to do was to ride the Appalachian. Unfortunately for Nora, she was a little too short to ride. Steven then wanted to go on the Thunder Bird coaster, but even that one scared Nora. Eventually, Steven settled for the Teacups. At first Nora seemed to enjoy them, but she nearly threw up because of all the spinning. After getting off, Nora had to sit down for a few moments, which really annoyed Steven. "Are you feeling better Nora?" He asked, quickly calming down for Nora who nodded slightly.

After looking up, Nora's expression changed to one of complete excitement and surprise. She then shook Steven's arm with excitement and pointed to what she was pointing at: It was a cute and cuddly toy seahorse. "Oh. You want the seahorse?" Steven asked before Nora nodded her head in excitement. "Well ok. I was going to let you try those this eventually, but now's the perfect time." Steven said with a smile before leading Nora over to the Ring Toss game.

The aim was to throw about Nine hoops onto the bottles to win the seahorse, it seemed easy enough...or so Steven thought. He had gotten eight rings onto two bottles, but had managed to miss all the others. This really freaked Steven out, not only because he failed to get Nora the toy, but also because he assumed he was a bad sibbling. However...Nora got out a bit of dirt from her pockets, poured some onto the palm of her hand before she pressed them together and created a pink crystal-like ring.

Steven was panicking a little until he felt something in his hands. It was a spare ring, although it looked different from the rest of the rings, but despite this and the fact that he didn't know how it ended up in his hand, Steven realised that he had one more chance. So wanting to make this shot count, and wouldn't you know it, it was a success. Nora smiled in excitement as she was handed the toy seahorse.

Without thinking, Nora then hugged Steven with a warm smile, and Steven actually felt himself hugging Nora back. "Look out! The thunder Bird's car has broken loose!" Someone yelled in panic, gaining the attention of the two sibblings before they ran to see what the problem was. Somehow, the Thunder Bird ride had malfunctioned and had nearly caused the cars to fly off the track, but thankfully one or two cars were hanging over the edge.

"Oh no! Those people are in trouble." He yelped in panic, immediately getting out his phone to contact the fire brigade. However, the two front cars broke loose and fell to the ground, causing everyone to flee from getting hurt. Steven didn't realise until too late. But Nora...in a bold attempt, somehow managed to constructed a pink polygonal baseball glove and caught the cars, right as they nearly hit the ground. She then put the two cars on the ground before she grabbed Steven's hand and ran off, not noticing a strange figure in a suit who watched the whole thing.

When Steven saw what happened back there, he was surprised to see that his own sister had a few tricks up her sleeves. It was only when they were a good distance away from Funland that he was able to speak to her. "Woah...you...you have magic powers too?" He asked in amazement. Nora felt really uncomfortable for showing her abilities in public and didn't answer Steven. "Oh...I get it. You don't like talking about it right?" He presumed before Nora nodded her head slowly.

"Nora...that was amazing what you did." Steven said with a smile, despite being a little jealous of course. Nora then looked up in surprise towards her brother. "I mean, you saved a few lives back there. You should be proud about what you did." Hearing this, Nora turned her head away slightly. "Oh...maybe it's because of Pearl's discouragement towards you. Hmm...maybe if I tell her what you did today, maybe she'll accept you." Steven suggested with a plan, causing Nora to shrug but then nod a little. Before long, the two ran off towards home to tell the gems the good news.

Behind them however, the same strange figure was watching the two sibblings. " _Agent S, report._ " A voice from his ear communicator spoke. "I found out boss. There's two of them. Do I engage?" Agent S explained. "No...leave them be for now. I need to do some research on what's been happening at Beach City." The voice said. "Yes sir." Agent S said before hanging up.

* * *

Later after getting back to the Beach House

Steven burst through the door with Nora holding his hand and hanging on for her dear life. "Guys!" He yelped, gaining the attention of Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl and Purity who looked surprised at this. "Hey Ste-man. How's it hangin' Nora?" Amethyst greeted with a wave from herself and Citrine. "Howdy." Garnet greeted with a smile. "Hello Steven." Pearl greeted, though soon turned her head away when Nora tried to wave.

"Listen, you won't believe what happened today. I found out Nora could create pink magic constructs." Steven panted with excitement. "Pink, constructs?" Amethyst asked in confusion. "Interesting..." Garnet said, wanting to see Nora's powers. However, Pearl grabbed Nora's hand, the instant she attempted to show one of her magic constructs. "I told you, keep them to yourself!" She said in anger, causing Nora to gasp in fright.

"Nora saved a few lives today, even I was impressed by it." Steven explained, slapping Pearl's hand away from Nora's wrist. "She did?" Amethyst and Citrine asked in awe. "Impressive." Garnet said, giving Nora the thumbs up. "How did she?" "She constructed a pink baseball glove to catch the cars of the rollercoaster and saved the people on them." Steven explained, causing Pearl to gasp in surprise.

Steven was pretty sure Pearl was about to accept Nora for saving those people...until it came crashing down. "How dare you do that Nora! Thinking your the best over Steven! Putting my baby in danger! I've just about had it with you!" Pearl growled angrily, shoving Nora to the ground hurtfully, causing her to tear up. Everyone and even Steven were shocked by Pearl's actions.

"Woah..." Amethyst said with fright.

"Hey!" Bismuth said in shock and anger.

"Pearl, that's Enough!" Garnet yelled in annoyance.

Pearl didn't even care that the others were outraged by her behaviour, she just summoned her spear which looked like she wanted to hurt Nora, but in truth she just wanted to scare her off...which was working. "Wait! Pearl, come on. Nora's just after saving a few lives and you're getting mad at her? I could have died if it wasn't for her!" Steven pouted in anger. "Exactly my point, she has no place with you or Greg, she's nothing but a troublemaker!" Pearl stated with nothing but blant lies. "She's only a little girl, you'd really leave her out on the streets?!" Steven argued in anger.

"She's going, end of story!" Pearl said harshly, shoving Steven aside and planning on throwing Nora out the door, and off the balcony. "Why? It's not like she's related to Pink Diamond's shattering or anything." Steven said, daring to argue Pearl defending his sister in the process and somehow causing his guardian to quickly cover her mouth and leaving Nora confused. "Ugh, again with that? Just leave her alone!" Steven spat in annoyance, immediately making Pearl go away and warping off someplace. "Woah...I've seen Pearl act wierd before...but not that wierd." Bismuth stated in suspicion.

"What's with her?" Amethyst asked in confusion. "She's just upset, that's all." Purity stated, suddenly appearing behind Amethyst and her sister. "Woah...seriously, how does she do that?!" Amethyst asked in confusion. "Like I said, Omni-Potential Powers." Purity stated before walking over to the couch to sit. "I'll go talk to her Nora. You're a good girl in our book." Garnet said with reassurance before heading off to find Pearl. "Man, sounds like you've got a bit of a responsibility Steven." Amethyst stated jokingly, causing herself and Citrine to laugh.

"Come on! How am I suppose to..." Steven started until he looked back towards Nora who was currently sobbing quietly on the couch with Bismuth to comfort her. "I'll be back later." Steven finally said before walking out the door. "Wait Steven, what about...Nora?" Bismuth said, trying to talk to Steven, but was too late, he was already out the door. "Do you think we went too far?" Amethyst then asked with concern. "Ai think we did." Citrine replied with guilt, losing her glowing colours. At that moment, Nephrite and Jewel came walking in from Pearl's room where she saw Nora sadly rubbing her bruise. "What did I miss?" Jewel asked in confusion. "Trust me...you don't wanna know." Amethyst stated with concern along with Citrine nodding. Jewel was confused at first, but shrugged it off to talk to Nora.

* * *

Over at Greg's Car Wash

Greg had finished up for the day and had even locked up the place already, he then noticed Steven leaning against his van. "Oh, hey there Sctu-ball." He said with a sheepish smile. "Hey Dad..." Steven said sadly, immediately catching Greg's suspicion. "Hey...are you alright?"

"Dad...don't take this the wrong way, but...I can't take care of Nora." Steven admitted sadly, really feeling nervous about what would happen next. "What? Why not?" Greg asked with concern, feeling a bit shocked at first, but felt like there was a reason for Steven saying this. "Well, Pearl keeps harassing me on getting rid of her for some reason and even threatening to hurt her too, everyone in beach city think's she more cuter than me, even most of them prefer her over me and she's better at everything than me." The young boy explained stressfully from what he experienced today.

"Come on Schtuball, do you really think she's better than you?" Greg asked. "Well...not really. I mean, she did save my life. But...I think it's too hard to take care of her with Pearl always harrassing her. Maybe it's a good idea to send her someplace else?" Steven explained, worried about being responsible for what could happen to Nora. In a way, Greg understood what Steven meant and figured that this would happen to Nora. "Please...I know it's hard to do this. But your sister...she's been through a lot, good...but bad as well." He said before sitting Steven down on the edge of his van.

"What do you mean she's been through a lot?" Steven then asked in confusion. "It's pretty complicated...but I think it's best if you hear about Nora's life." He said, going back to when Nora was just a baby.

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _When you and your sister were born, Nora was the first to come._

 _And she was absolutely beautiful when I first laid my eyes upon her, especially her hair..._

 _But she was dying, slowly..._

 _I was panicking, because I didn't want to lose her, but then Rose...she helped Nora._

 _Yeah, I don't know about this magical gem stuff, but with her help, Rose kissed Nora on the head, it sent some kind of magic into her body and kinda made her hair a bit pink, but it helped._

 _With a bit of luck, Nora then opened her eyes and began crying. I was overjoyed about this...but then I realised that Rose was dying..._

 _She wanted to see your sister before giving up her form for you, so I gave her to Rose briefly and she spoke_ _._

 _"Nora...please look after your brother. I might never see you again...but be strong, I will always be with you."_

 _Those were the last words I ever heard from her. Because after that, her form disappeared, and I saw you...lying there._

 _Rose wanted me to look after you two, so that's what I wanted to do, more than anything._

 _Although...Pearl wanted nothing to do with Nora for some reason, so I decided to send her to live with your Uncle Andy._

 _She might have been far, but that didn't stop Pearl from hurting her whenever she used her powers...which I never understood really._

 _But she did do a lot of wonderful things over the years..._

 _She joined a cooking club, helped the homeless, she scored a perfect lead on her play as a ballerina and wouldn't you believe it? She even made a few friends along the way._

 _Eventually though, Andy came back to the barn, mainly so he could hand her back to my care. And also because she wanted to attend middle school in Delmarva. It upset her really, she tried moving on, but it was really hard for her._

 _Flashback Ends_

* * *

"Woah...that's incredible... She did a lot of stuff when I wasn't with her..." Steven said in surprise. "Yeah...that's pretty much what she had to leave behind to come here to attend School. Andy explained that there was something he needed to do and he wasn't able to take care of her any longer." Greg explained before then explaining that Andy still cared for Nora.

"That's the thing Steven. Nora had a rough life...She needs the support from her family. That means both of us. So try and take care of her. Please...for me?" Greg pleaded, making Steven a little hesitant. "Alright. No promises, I'll do my best." Steven said, nodding in agreement before smiling sadly. "Don't worry...things will get better once you get to know her. I promise Sctu-ball." Greg said with reassurance before he took Steven back to the gems.

* * *

Later that night

Steven was getting ready for bed. He had just finished his teeth when he noticed the vhs tape that his mother gave gave his sister laying on the coffee table. He was a little distracted at first, wanting to just ignore it. But after a moment...he decided to play it. There was so much that he missed out on the video. "What were you saying to Nora mom?" He said to himself before inserting the video into his television.

He then got up to the part where he didn't finish last night. " _Nora, we can't both exist. But I won't be gone. I'm going to become half of you. And every moment you enjoy being yourself, that will be me, loving being you._ _Because you're going to become something extraordinary. You're going to be a human being. That's my favourite part. A human being. A human is an action. I wonder who, how you'll be, what you'll think, what you'll want. Oh, I'm so happy for everyone who's going to know you. I'm rambling. If they look to you, trust yourself. Take care of them, Nora._ " Rose said before the video ended completely.

It may have been different from his video, but Steven knew that if it was Nora who had the gem, then he'd get the bad punishments. Steven then ejected the tape and put it next to the one his mother had given him. He smiled at how Rose said all that wonderful stuff to his sister and was pretty excited about having her, but he then sighed sadly, wondering how any of this tied into what he was going through, especially after hearing about _the incident_ with Pink Diamond. He was probably afraid of how badly she'd take her own mother doing a few horrible things.

"Steven?" A quiet voice said from the young boy. Taking him by surprise at first until he turned around slowly to see Nora in her pyjamas shyly looking at him, as if she had been there the whole time. "N...Nora? Sorry, I didn't see you th...Wait. Did...did you talk...just now?" Steven asked carefully after hearing what he heard, trying not to upset Nora.

At first, Nora shook her head in denial, but then nodded before sitting on his bed carefully. "Woah... So...how come you've never talked to anyone before?" Steven asked gently as Nora looked away a little. "W...Well...I was afraid that I might say something wrong to you or anyone else." Nora said, the first sentence that she said to anyone in her life. Even Steven gasped in shock at hearing this. "Is it about what Pearl said earlier?" He asked, sitting down on the bed beside his twin sibling. "She...She was always saying about never speaking to anyone. Even saying that I had no place with you or daddy." Nora confessed, tearing up to the point of sobbing.

Steven frowned at this, the way Pearl treated her earlier. "It's even horrible when I had to leave my old life behind, I didn't even know I had a brother and I feel like I'm being selfish to everyone." Nora admitted, finally breaking down into tears, finally allowing Steven to understand that she was very sensitive. "Hey...neither of us knew we had a sibling. Neither of us expected this, but none of this is on us. Besides, Pearl shouldn't boss you around like that." Steven said, rubbing Nora's back to comfort her.

"She said I was to stay quiet, but I don't want to be quiet forever." Nora said, worried about not being allowed to speak. "I'll always be here if you need me, even if Pearl harrasses you, I'll never back down. Also, you can be whoever you want to be." Steven said, ghibing Nora a well deserved hug for comfort. Wiping away her tears, Nora then smiled at her brother.

"Thank you." She managed to say with a smile. "You're welcome sis." Steven said, allowing a few tears to fall from his face and onto his sister's hair accidently. At that moment, Nora's hair began to glow a bright pink colour, shocking the two kids in the process.

* * *

The next morning

Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and Bismuth warped back to the temple after spending all night finding Pearl. "Seriously, don't do that again Pearl. You nearly sank to the bottom in that quicksand pit." Bismuth stated with a serious attitude. "Well how was I supposed to know?" Pearl asked, pouting in annoyance. It was then that they saw Steven and Nora eating their breakfast together, much to Pearl's annoyance anyway.

Garnet wasn't surprised because she had her future vision. Nora was now looking a little similar to Steven, only she was wearing dungarees which were the same colour as his pants, a pink shirt with a star on it, similar to his, a similar pair of sandles than what Steven wore, and her hair...was now completely pink, pretty similar to Lion's mane, possibly because of Steven's tears after last night.

"Um...Steven...what is going on? And why is _she_ still here?" Pearl asked in annoyance. "I'm trying to make Nora feel at home. She needs the support of her family like my dad said yesterday." Steven explained with a smile. "I saw this coming. Glad you made the best out of the situation yesterday Steven." Garnet said, winking one of her three eyes at Steven.

"Well, if we are twin siblings, Nora decided to dress a little like me." Steven said to Pearl who seemed a little disgusted, but it also got the others to smile. "Yeah, he said it would be pretty cute if we looked a little alike." Nora said confidently with a cute smile. "Nora?" Bismuth asked with amazement. "Gurl, you can talk." Amethyst said in amazement. "Of course...although I haven't been able to speak for my whole life because of Pearl...but I'm ok to talk because Steven broke me out of my shell last night." Nora explained with a smile.

"Nora, I thought I told you never to..." Pearl started in anger, but was cut off when a hand grabbed her from behind. She then turned to see the other gems who had looks of annoyance. "Hehehe, um...oops?" She asked nervously before she was immediately thrown out by Bismuth who litterally threw her threw her through the roof and onto the beach, much like a javelin.

"Um...Bismuth, you really didn't need to do that." Steven said nervously, causing Bismuth to rub her head in embarrassment. "Whoops...I got carried away. Nevermind, so what's new about you and Nora then?" She asked before causing the two twins to look at each other. "Introducing, the Universe Twins." Steven and Nora said together with pride. "Steven, the pure hearted brother with the gem powers from his mother's side..." Steven said, posing dramatically "and Nora, the helpful twin with the power of love." Nora said gracefully.

"Universe Twins? Oh right, you're both the kids of Rose Quartz." Amethyst said in realisation. "Yeah...that's pretty much it." Garnet said in approval. "Um...how is your hair Pink Nora?" Amethyst asked, suddenly looking at Nora's hair suspiciously. "Oh...yeah...I think my tears had an effect on it last night. I dunno why...unless it had something to do with her at birth." Steven confessed sheepishly. "It did." Purity said, appearing beside Nora, freaking the little girl out in the process, even causing her to fall off the chair. "Purity, can you stop doing that?" Steven asked in annoyance. "Hey, she comes and goes at will. That's who she is." Bismuth explained from her memories of the past.

Purity then nodded in agreement. "So anyways, how did Nora's hair get Pink, and why did it get affected by my tears?" Steven then asked in confusion. "It works one of two ways Steven: One is when the living creature is dead, Rose could ressurect them, turning them Pink in the process and giving them the same powers as Lion. And two, if the living creature is close to dying and Rose affects them, they are healed without being turned Pink... _or living for thousands of years for that matter._ " Purity explained, keeping quiet about the last part.

"Also, how come Nora has these powers, the pink constructs etc. and...why?" Steven then asked, only to see Purity seem a slight bit hesitant, but shook it off. "One day you'll find out Steven, as I've seen it...but for now, it's your job to take care of your sister." The omni-diamond explained. "Yeah...besides, were gonna stick together from now on. I promise." Steven said with pride. "Besides, what could possibly happen now?" Nora asked rhetorically before the two sibblings hugged once more.

Just then Connie walked through the door and she had a bit of an uncomfortable expression on her face. "Hey Steven. Look, I want to tell you something, and I want you to promise you won't...freak out?" She started, but stopped when she saw Steven sitting with his sister. "Hi Connie." Nora said with a smile and a wave. "Oh...you already know then?" Connie asked sheepishly, causing Steven to chuckle a little. "Yeah...Nora's my sister." He said, causing Nora to suddenly nod.

* * *

 **Welp, that's pretty much it folks**

 **Stay tuned as always ^^**

 **Negaboss2000 out**


	14. Doug Out

**Greetings from Negaboss2000 ^^**

 **Back with another chapter of AOTG**

 **So sit back and enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Doug Out**

One evening on Beach City, right after School for Nora and Connie

Steven was just picking up a bag of Fry Bits from Peedee, and Nora was even excited to finally try some of them after what Steven said about them. "Thanks for the bits Peedee." Steven said before him and the girls began to walk off. "Oh, and tell Ronaldo Steven hopes his weird rash clears up soon." Nora added with a smile, causing Peedee to blush slightly.

The three kids then sat up on one of the benches to eat the Fry Bits and watch the sunset. "Phew...life can get really intense, huh?" Steven said with facination. "Yeah, especially _your_ life Steven. Let's see, alien abduction." Connie started, recalling what happened a while back. "Going to a weird zoo for humans in space just to rescue you." Steven added with a smile.

"And sneaking out past a few of intergalactic tyrants! Thanks to Red Diamond of course." Connie then added once more, causing the herself and Steven to laugh. "What do you both mean?" Nora asked in confusion. "Long story short Nora, Connie was abducted and taken to this human zoo, but me and the gems got her back." Steven explained from what he experienced at the zoo.

"What?! No wonder I wasn't able to message you that time." Nora said in shock. "Yeah...I know how you feel Nora." Steven said calmly before taking a Fry Bit from the bag and lifting it up towards the sky. "But on the plus side, it's nice to know we can still have peaceful days like this without any trouble." He then said, throwing the fry bit into the air and attempting to catch it with his mouth.

However, it hit the side of his face and fell to the ground. "Almost." Connie stated as the three kids laughed. "Anyways, I still can't believe you two are related to each other." Connie said, stating about the two twins. "Me neither. I mean, I should have figured it sooner, but yeah. Although it was hard with Pearl around." Steven said sheepishly.

"Pearl's been hard on me since I moved in. She took my doll and refused to give it back, she tried to kick me out and even attempted to lure me away with a flute." Nora explained, doing her best not to tear up. "Yeah...it's true. Also, I missed the point about what the flute was for." Steven admitted, feeling like he knew the reference but couldn't quite get it yet. "Woah...that's so unlike Pearl. How could she do that?" Connie asked in shock, learning that Pearl was abusing Nora in a way.

"Pearl has her reasons." Purity's voice suddenly spoke, appearing behind the three kids and accidentally scaring them once again. "I swear Purity, one day you're going to be the death of me." Steven groaned as he got to his feet. "Apologies. But I couldn't help but overhear you about Pearl. My point is, she has her reasons, and she doesn't wish to tell them...for now anyway."

"Oh...well one day I'll ask her. But for now, I think we've got a brilliant day ahead of us." Steven then said with a smile before the unthinkable happened. "Hey kid!" A voice through a microphone yelled, gaining the attention of the the gang.

Everyone then looked over to see someone looking at them with a pretty serious attitude. "Drop those fry bits! Drop em'!" He barked. "Oh no, it's the cops!" Steven yelped in panic, also worrying Nora too. "Huh?" Connie asked in confusion. "All the years of ordering off menu have finally come back to taunt me!" Steven explained in a panic.

"Steven...you're scaring me." Nora said, almost on the verge of panicking herself. "Also, don't you mean _haunt_ you? Steven that's not even a police car, it's just-" Connie started, relieving Nora, but it didn't work for Steven. "I surrender! I knew I was breaking the rules but, I did it anyway! The bits had their hooks in meee!" Steven confessed after running over towards the guy and putting his hands up.

Connie and Nora on the other hand, ran after him and laughed. "Dad, quit joking around." She said with a chuckle. "Come on, Connie I almost had him." The guy said, revealing himself as none other than Doug Maheswaran. "Mr. Maheswaran?!" Steven said in shock before he sighed and fell to the ground in relief.

Doug then put his microphone back in his car and walked over towards the kids and Purity whilst Connie tended to Steven. "Wow...I honestly didn't think he would take _that_ seriously." He said sheepishly. "And that's just what worries me." Purity said with concern.

"You ok there Steven?" Doug asked as he squatted down to Steven. "Oh, yeah, I love it down here." Steven sheepishly. "And how's my swashbuckling swashbuckler doing?" Doug then said, looking over towards his daughter.

"I'm good." Connie said with a smile. "Oh hello Nora. How's it going with you? Did you dye your hair again?" Doug then asked Nora upon seeing her hair. "Hello. Y-Yeah, something like that happened." Nora said, trying to avoid the subject. "Anyways, Steven, maybe you're dehydrated. Probably from eating all that garbage before dinner." Doug explained jokingly. "Respectfully, Fry Bits are not garbage." Steven said nervously. "And honestly, this was my first time eating them." Nora added.

"Don't worry guys, he's just messing with you both." Connie said with reassurance. "Sorry about that. Anyways, let's get you up Steven." Doug said after a chuckle.

After getting Steven to his feet, the kids followed Doug to his car. "So what are you even doing in Beach City dad?" Connie asked her own father as he took a note out from the car. "I'm out here on a job, actually." Doug explained as he lifted up the paper and looking at it.

"The private security company I work for got a call from a Mr. Harold Smiley stating that someones been lurking around Funland after hours. So it looks like I'll be here all night. On...a stake out." Doug explained as his glasses shined.

"Woah, a stakeout!" Steven said in amazement. "That sounds so exciting!" Nora added with glee. "Dad, that's so cool!" Connie then added with joy. "Yeah, it is pretty cool, huh? Protecting the citizens of Beach City. Just like you guys." Doug pointed out as Purity nodded her head in agreement.

"Wouldn't that be fun, guys?" Connie asked her two friends. "Yeah! Id love to go on a stakeout sometime." Steven said with approval. "Um...I don't know...but it did hear it was kinda exciting." Nora said sheepishly. "Well then maybe you kids, could help me out tonight." Doug said, giving an offer to the kids.

"What?!" Steven, Connie and Nora said in shock. "You'd really let us tag along?" Nora stuttered in disbelief. "Even though we're not officially sanctioned security personnel?" Connie then added in amazement. "Hey, why not. It's probably just some kit loitering. Hey, kid!" Doug said to Connie before turning his gaze to another kid, also known as Onion.

Onion looked over at Doug and put his right arm up. "Yes, hello! The sign above you says no loitering!" Doug said, pointing out a bit of an obvious fact that Onion saw immediately. He then shrugged and walked off. "They get younger every year." Doug said to himself before turning back to the kids. "So, are ya'll ready for this? Some of these teens can use some pretty strong language." He then asked "Hey Steven, you wanna help ruin some teen's night?" Connie asked her Jam Bub. "Always." Steven replied with a smile.

"What about you Nora?" Connie asked, looking at Nora. "Um...sure. Why not?" Nora said with a shrug. "Hmm...I predict this could end badly, though I've been wrong before." Purity said with a suspicious look.

* * *

Later that night at Funland.

Doug was waiting the car for something suspicious to happen. Steven peeped out the back window just in case someone suspicious came, and thankfully, there wasn't. "The coast is all clear behind us." Steven whispered. "Things seem pretty quiet so far." Connie added. "Too quiet in fact." Nora said with a shiver.

"Well yeah, nobody's gonna even _try_ hopping the fence with all of us here. But you never know, sometimes, I actually leave the car." Doug stated with an epic whisper. "Wow..." The three kids responded in amazement.

"It is often a very bad idea for one to leave the car. There could be an ambush waiting for us, to catch us off guard until the very last moment. That's how most of the Crystal Gems became monsters." Purity stated with a serious tone, scaring Nora slightly. "Yeah...I see your point miss..." Doug started, but forgot Purity's name immediately.

"Diamond. Paragon Diamond, but my allies call me Purity." Purity said, shaking Doug's hand in the process. "Anyways, I'm sure you guys do a lot of waiting when you're saving the world. It can't be all bam, pow action all the time." Doug pointed out. "A wise leader, never seeks out a battle...but, they must always be ready for it." Purity explained.

"Aw, I wish. There's a lot of fighting, I mean, I kind of inherited a intergalactic war." Steven pointed out, relating to the gem war and the recent battles him and the Crystal Gems had fought. "S-Steven, what do you mean?" Nora asked nervously, causing Steven to realise that he couldn't tell Nora about the Gem War and about Pink Diamond's shattering. "It's nothing to worry about Nora." Steven said, calming his twin sister down.

It was then that Connie noticed a box with a couple of things in it. "Hey dad, what's in box?" She asked with curiosity, causing Doug to turn around to see what she meant. "Oh, I just confiscated that from a kid who was shoplifting in a costume shop." Doug explained from one of his other experiences on the job.

"Woah...You could totally use these for disguises! Don't you even need to go...Undercover?" Steven said, getting a perfect idea. "How do you know I'm not under cover right now?" Doug asked as he lifted his glasses up, causing Steven, Nora and Connie to look at him in surprise. Also causing Purity to summon what appeared to be a Rubix Cube with caution. "Just kidding, I need these to see." Doug said as he put his glasses back on, giving Purity a bit of relief.

"But if you guys want to play with that stuff then go ahead." Doug said, allowing the kids to use the costumes. "Hmm...I do not need a _costume_. My cloak has been the only thing to keep me from revealing my identity." Purity stated calmly.

"Ok, well _I_ want to be undercover. I'll be..." Connie started, looking through the box along with Steven and Nora.

* * *

Seconds later...

"...Veronica Cucamonga." Connie said, now wearing a red fedora and coat. "Along with Mysteria **(1)**." Nora said with excitement, wearing a pink costume and a mask which seemed to be a costume of a quiz themed superhero. "It's a-me, Peter Pizzapoppolis, from Italia!" Steven said in his Italian accent.

"Pizzapoppolis? That sounds Greek." Connie said with a light chuckle. "It kinda sounds Italian to me." Nora said sheepishly. "Nevermind. You sure you don't want anything dad? There's a clown nose back here." Connie then asked. squeaking a clown nose that she found in the box.

"No thanks, being a security guard isn't joke. That's why, they equip us with these." Doug said, pulling out a flashlight. "Wow, a flash light! Jinx!" Connie and Nora said in unison. "Yeah. It gets pretty dark out there." Doug stated with a serious tone. "Indeed it..." Purity started, but was cut off by a loud crash which came from outside.

"Um...what was that?" Nora squeaked in fear, hugging Steven in the process. "We'd better find out." Purity said instantly before phasing through the door, freaking Doug out slightly.

Everyone then got out of the car and ran up to the metallic fence which had been somehow, disintegrated magically. Everyone looked in shock at how the fence was damaged, and couldn't make heads or tails of _how_ it was disintegrated. "Mama mia the fence-a!" Steven pouted in his Italian accent.

"Stars above..." Purity gasped, picking up a piece of debris. "How on earth did this happen?" Doug asked, walking over to inspect the damaged pattern. "If this were some punk and his gang with a pair of bolt cutters this would have been a clean cut." Doug added with shock. "But the chain looked as if it was torn to pieces." Purity added "And disintegrated." Nora frightfully answered.

"You girls are right...this was _no_ kid." Doug said, jumping to a bit of a conclusion. "Well, if it wasn't some misguided teen and his gang, what could it be?" Connie asked nervously. "It could be a gem...or..." Purity started, but cut off by Nora. "A diamond?" She asked nervously.

"Yes, exact...wait, how do you know what a Diamond is?" Connie said before realising something. "That's not important. For now, we have to find out what did this." Purity stated, quickly interrupting the question for Nora before she went into Funland alone. "She's right. It's up to us to find out! Sounds like we better investigate. Cucamonga, Mystoria, Pizzapoppolis." Doug said with confidence as he got to his feet.

"Right!"

"Right answer!"

"Right-a!"

All three kids said in unison before they began walking in. However, Connie noticed a ripped piece of leather on the fence and picked it up before moving on, thinking that it might be important evidence.

"Hello? This is security! You are trespassing on private property. Do not attempt to make yourself a corn dog. Funland incorporated is not liable for the harm you may incur on trying to operate a deep fryer without a license." Doug called out to the intruder whilst searching around for anyone suspicious. "You need a license to operate a deep fryer?" Steven asked quietly in shock.

"That's useless. Allow me." Purity said, before speaking with a dark tone. "Whoever you are, whether human, homeworld gem or Diamond, come out and show yourself. I am Purity Diamond, mentor of the Crystal Gems. I can tell you this now: If you try to run, I _will_ find you." She spoke, her voice echoing through the place and her eyes lighting up with pure vengeance.

"Huh...that's a little scary...but acceptable to me." Nora said with an impressed tone. "Thank you. It's a bit of an old habit, but it still works after all these years." Purity said with a smile before everyone heard another loud crash that gained their attention.

"Woah..." The girls said as they saw a shadow of a huge figure. "Hey, stop right there!" Doug said as the group ran towards the shadow which quickly left around the corner. They then hid behind one of the prize booths to make sure they didn't blow their cover. "Follow my lead." Doug then said before he did a somersault across the ground along with Steven, Connie and Nora, one by one.

"Don't move." Doug ordered as he shined his flashlight to try to find the intruder...only to find that nobody was there. "Did we lose them?" Connie asked in concern. "It appears that we did. I'll check from the skies, you make sure they don't escape by ground." Purity said before immediately levitating off the ground and into the skies.

"Wow...she must be some kind of witch..." Nora said in amazement. "Never mind-a that-a Nora. Which a-way did they go so fast-a?" Steven asked in his italian accent. "Mouths closed, eyes and ears open." Doug ordered before the kids did so.

They waited for a moment, to hear something, anything in fact. And in that moment, they heard something, a door creaking and from the looks of it, it was the door from a ride called the Hyper Space. "Bad move chump, that space ship's permanetly earthbound." Doug said before he and the kids ran onto the ride.

* * *

Once inside

Doug held his flashlight and pointed it around the place. "Gotcha! I mean, Freeze!...Oh man." He said, looking around to see that nobody was in the ride. "Are we dealing with some sort of escape artist?" Doug asked in confusion as the three kids looked around the ride. "Hey steven, do you think that maybe we should get our weapons?" Connie suggested just in case.

"You have weapons?" Nora asked in surprise. "Don't worry Nora. It won't be neccessary. We're not here to escalate the situation. Besides, a good security guard only needs their trusty flashlight." Doug stated with pride, but suddenly the door behind him slammed shut with a loud bang.

Doug heard this and turned around to pull on the handle in attempts to get the door open once more. "Hey! Open up this instant!" He ordered as Connie and Steven rushed over to the door to help him, but Nora however, just stood there, frozen like a deer in headlights.

"Yeah let us out!" Connie added, still trying to open the door. At that moment however, they heard a scream from in the ride, it was actually Nora's scream. Steven turned to see Nora backing away from a shadow figure who was taller than him, advancing towards her. "Nora! Hang on I'm coming!" Steven yelled in panic as he summoned his shield and threw it at the figure, immeidiately knocking him over.

He and Connie then rushed over to Nora who was in tears after that frightening moment. "You ok Nora?" Connie asked with concern. "T-The correct answer i-is Yes. I'm ok." Nora responded, wiping her tears away. Steven then turned his attention to the kid who was knocked over. "Alright buster, you think you can mess with my daughter's friend's sister? You thought...wrong?" Doug started, but upon flashing his light over at the figure, the kids were shocked to see who it was.

The trio saw that the figure was actually a kid **(2)**. He was around the age of 15, He had black hair with indigo streaks dyed into it, blue eyes, wore a purple neck scarf, a dark purple hoodie, a pair of shorts and a pair of boots.

"Zach?!" Connie and Nora said in shock. "Wha...? Connie, Nora?!" The kid called Zach asked in the same amount of shock. "What are you doing here?!" The three kids asked in unison. "Wait, you know this kid?" Steven asked in confusion. "Yeah. He's the kid I told you about before, remember, when I went up to that mansion with Nora and him?" Connie explained, causing Steven to remember.

"Zachary Connors? Oh of course. Hang on, why are you even in here?" Doug asked with a cross attitude. "I was hiding. I thought you guys were actually one of those people in the shadows who were going around the place." Zach explained, confusing Doug. "Right, but I mean...what are you doing in Funland, exactly?" Doug asked again.

"Well...if you insist." Zach said as he got to his feet. "I came here with Darren, Cadence and a few of the other bullies so we could have the place to ourselves. I got knocked out by one of the bullies hitting me on the head with a baseball, I woke up 30 minutes later, I couldn't find the others and then I freaked out and hid in here, upon seeing those people in the shadow I mean." Zach explained, telling the whole story of why he was in Funland.

"Darren Galaxy. Of course. Why am I not surprised?" Doug grumbled in annoyance upon hearing the bully's name. "Shadow...people? What did they look like Zach?" Connie asked in confusion. "They were many shapes and sizes, a few of them were short, one of them looked like a child, and the rest were big...look I really don't want to talk about it right now." Zach said in annoyance.

He was about to make his way out of the ride but he discovered that the door was shut. "Um...please tell me you guys locked the door to keep me in here." He asked sheepishly, but saw the others looking at him with a nervous attitude. "Um...I thoughta you did-a that-a?" Steven asked in confusion as he and everyone else made their way over to the door to try and open it once more.

"Great. What could possibly go wrong now?" Zach asked rhetorically. He must have spoken too soon, because the next moment, the lights in the ride turn on and what's worse was that it started to move as well. "The ride's moving!" Steven and Connie screamed in panic as the Hyper Space suddenly started getting up to high speed. "Ugh, me and my big mouth!" Zach groaned.

"We gotta shut it off!" Connie said as she tried to move. "But _the question_ is how? We're all stuck to these boards." Nora asked in panic, really freaking out and leaving Steven to comfort her as best as he could. "Don't worry! I'll just use my trusty flashlight." Doug said before he threw the flashlight towards the Off Button on the ride...but because of the ride's movement, it missed.

"Oh no!" Steven said in panic. "Is that..." Nora started until Connie finished the rest. "The laws of physics!" She said as the flashlight flew back and hit Doug in the face, causing him to yell in pain. "You ok Dad?" Connie asked in concern. "Yeah, I'm ok. I've got a new idea. This time, I'll throw it at an angle!" Doug said, saying a very bad idea.

"Dad, I don't think that'll work." Connie stated with concern. "Oh no...this can't end well." Zach said as he felt Nora's hand hold his much to Steven's annoyance. "GO!" Doug said, throwing the flashlight to the left, causing it to everyone of their heads multiple times.

From outside the Hyper Space, Purity heard the screams of her allies before turning in concern towards the ride spinning rapidly. "Stars above." She murmured in fright before rushing off to the ride, oblivious to the several shadow figures watching from behind her.

Back inside the Hyper Space however, Zach tried to catch the flashlight a few times and nearly had his teeth knocked out of him, but he caught it in the end. "Well, it's official: You are the worst Security Guard ever." He stated bluntly. "Hey, that's my dad you're talking about." Connie pouted in annoyance.

"Well do you have any better ideas Connors?" Doug asked crossly. "Please-a hurry! We got to get out of this spicy meat-a-ball!" Steven grunted in an italian accent as he tried to push himself off the wall. "Well, I have a trick, yes!" Zach said before reaching into his hoodie to take out a blue object.

It was a turquoise stone with a blue line going through the middle with a diamond shape in the centre. "What's that?" Nora asked upon seeing the object. "Dunno. I found it when I woke up." Zach explained before pressing the purple diamond in the centre, causing it to glow a light blue colour before he swiped it through a couple of symbols until he reached a star symbol on it.

"Right, hopefully this'll work." Zach said, clutching the gemstone before he used it to magically push himself onto the middle platform along with Steven who managed to push himself off the wall and onto the middle too.

To their surprise, the platform was the only part which wasn't moving at all. "Hey, this part isn't moving at all." Steven said in surprise. "Well duh, all rides work like that. Nice problem solving skills by the way." Zach said in the form of a complement. "GUYS!" Connie yelled in annoyance. "Oh, sorry!" The two boy said before they rushed over to hit the off switch together.

The ride then shut down all together and switched off to their relief. The ride's door suddenly burst into pieces and Purity bursted in with a sword in hand. "Alright you scoundrel! Unhand those humans or face my..." She started, but was cut off when Steven rushed over to reassure her. "Purity it's fine, we're ok." He said, causing Purity to stand down in relief.

Everyone then got off the ride, groaning in the process. Nora nearly stumbled and fell on her face, but thankfully Zach was there to help her. "Nice going Zach. You're a good kid." Nora said with a little smile, causing Zach to blush.

"Eh, it was nothing really." He said before Steven came to his sister's side. "You ok Nora?" Steven asked in concern, but was reassured by his sister. "I'm alright, really." She said in a big sigh. "Hang on, didn't you say Nora was your sister?" Zach asked, having thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. I'm her twin brother, Steven." Steven said, introducing himself and shaking Zach's hand.

"Huh...I never knew Nora had a twin brother." Zach said with facination. "Neither did I." Nora admitted. Zach then helped Nora to her feet as he put the blue gemstone back into his hoodie pocket. Purity however, caught a glimpse of the gemstone being put into Zach's pocket, but she shrugged it off.

"Listen, you bodybuilding escape artist criminal. This isn't a game. You've endangered a officer of the law and four small children. Show yourself before you get into serious trouble!" Doug ordered in anger. "Technically I'm a teenager Mr Maheswaran." Zach said with a deadpan expression.

"Steven, do you think it's some sort of Gem Mutant or Monster?" Connie asked, still feeling pale thanks to the ride. "It could be, but the monsters and mutants aren't that smart." Steven pointed out. "I have to agree. Even rubies are said to be clumsy enough to cause this kind of damage." Purity stated, noticing that some parts of the ride had been sabotaged by the same disintegration patterns like the gate outside funland.

"Hey! I resent that!" **(3)** A voice suddenly spoke up, gaining everyone's attention, but they saw nobody around. "Well...could we be dealing with a Homeworld Gem?" Connie then asked. "Maybe we're dealing with a boss during this level." Zach stated from his point of view.

"What?" Doug asked in confusion. "This is similar to a game I played once. It could be a boss monster that we need to discover, who has a lot of minions, part of a powerful authority and who's waiting for us to find them, so they can kill us." Zach explained, getting a bit carried away. "Are you even speaking english?" Purity asked in annoyance.

"Homeworld? Gem? Mutant? Boss Monster? I, uh...well whatever it is, if someone's tresspassing, and tries to hurt my daughter and her friends, they'll have to answer to me." Doug said firmly, starting off nervously as he took batteries out of his flashlight and put new ones in before turning it on.

* * *

A few moments later

Doug lead the kids along with Purity and tried to search around for the figures. All the while, Zach was busy talking to the gang who told him everything, about the Crystal Gems, about what they do and where they originally came from.

"So let me get this straight: Your mom gave up, her physical form to make your brother, and somehow you were born too?" Zach asked in confusion. "And if what I'm hearing is true, then you've been with a family of powerful beings from space for fourteen years Steven?" He added in slight disgust.

"Yeah...please don't ask that again. It's kind of...gross." Steven said, nearly turning green at the thought of how he was even born. "So anyway, how did you propel yourself off the wall like that Zach?" Nora then asked. "It's because of this blue gemstone. Like I said, I found it when I woke up. I think it's some kind of mental powered gem, because when I tried it at first, I could have sworn I heard my mom's voice, but she's outta town along with dad." Zach explained with a whisper as he showed the gemstone.

"Hmm...it looks like an ancient relic from homeworld, but something like this can't be found without a reason." Steven said as he examined the gemstone. "Well...maybe it's some kind of ultimate weapon?" Zach suggested, but never got an answer because Connie got everyone to stay quiet.

"It's so... _quiet_." Connie said in suspicion, feeling like this was bad. " _Too_ quiet..." Steven and Nora both said in unison. "Yeah...t _hree_ quiet." Zach spoke, causing the three kids to turn towards him. "What? It's one higher than two." He said in his own defence.

At that moment however, all the streetlights and lights on the carnival turned on instantly, causing everyone to gasp in fright. "I can't believe this. They're mocking us. Show yourself! What is it that you want here?! Prizes? Fun? You think this is the place to get your kicks? You sick monster. Destroying the sanctity of this land of fun!" Doug growled in annoyance as walked around and looked into one of the prize booths to see if someone was there.

"Calm yourself Douglas. Getting angry about it won't solve anything." Purity said to Doug with reassurance. All the while, Zach had his phone out and ready to take some photos of whoever the culprit was. It was then that he and Purity spotted a small shadow above the mimigame that Doug was pouting at.

"Behind you!" Connie quickly yelped as Doug turned around to see the fence falling onto him and Zach. Thankfully, Zach was able to take several pictures before the figrue disappeared. "Dad!" "Mr. Maheswaren!" Connie and Steven both yelped in fright as they both rushed to help the security guard. "Zach!" Nora squeaked in fear as she helped Zach to his feet. "Don't worry, I'm fine." Doug managed to say before Zach interupted. "It's fine...I survive stuff like this anytime." Zach insisted as Nora helped him out of the fence.

Suddenly, a few shadows run past, catching everyone's attention. "There they are!" Doug said after a gasp, causing the four kids to gasp too. "Come on Steven!" Connie said as she and Steven got up to follow the shadows. "Hold on tight Nora!" Zach said as he gave Nora a piggyback before following his friends. "I'm right behind you!" Doug said as Purity helped him out of the fence.

"You're not getting away this time!" Connie yelled with determination. "Yeah, you villainous...villainous...! Phew, Bro, I gotta get out more often." Zach said, sounding pretty much out of breath. One of the shadows nocked over a trash can, but luckily Steven, Connie and Zach made it through without any problems. "Yuck, that's pretty gross." Zach said in disgust. Another one of the shadows then knocked over a gumball machine, spilling countless gumballs all over the floor.

"That's a lot of gumballs!" Connie said, worried about tripping up on the gumballs. "We're not gonna make it!" Zach said in a panic. "JUMP!" Steven and Nora said in unison. Connie jumped and Steven caught her hands which allowed them both to float over the gumballs. Nora on the other hand, constructed a pair of pink polygonal wings so she could fly like an angel as Zach put it.

The kids then ran into a dead end, but managed to see the figures run down an allyway. "It's time to give it up!" Connie yelled as she and the others blocked the entrance to the allyway. "There's no way out!" Steven then said firmly. "Whoever you are, you'd better come quietly, or else!" Zach called out with pride.

"Gumballs?! Aaah!" Doug said as he tripped up on some of the gumballs on the floor before falling on his face. Zach, couldn't help but snicker at this until Connie glared at him. "Hey kids. So how'd it go?" Doug asked after catching up with the kids. "The culprits are at the end of this corner dad." Connie said, pointing to the end of the allyway.

"Good work you kids. Now, let's shed some light on this subject." Doug said as he turned on his flashlight and shined it on a few figures. One looked brutal, another was a female, the third and fourth were two hooded goons and the fifth was...Onion?!

The figures looked towards the light, and while the others gasped in shock, one of them growled angrily. "Wait...Onion?!" Steven yelped in shock as Onion turned towards the gang squinting. "You? What are _you_ doing here? We're in the middle of a very important investigation." Doug said before pointing his light at the other teens. "And you four, you're all in big trouble." He said firmly.

"Dad..I think those other kids were the ones causing all the trouble, maybe Onion was running from them." Connie explained, causing the other kids to groan in annoyance. "Onion, it's me. Steven, you know, Steven Universe." Steven said with reassurance, taking off his hat and mustache, giving Onion a bit of relief and even causing him to hide behind Steven after he murmured frantically and did something similar to charades.

"Relax, it's just Mr. Maheswaren. Oh my gosh. Did you think a bunch of shadow strangers were chasing you who were actually these kids? Well no wonder you were trying to throw us off your trail. Everything's ok Onion, and these kids aren't gonna hurt you anymore." Steven said, giving more reassurance before Onion stepped back and smiled.

"It can't just be a kid. It doesn't make any sense! What about the huge shadow, maybe he was leading this band of vandals?" Doug asked has he walked between Steven and Onion. " _And what about that smaller figure too?_ " Zach wondered to himself as he looked at the picture of the small figure on the prize booth. Connie then turned on the flashligiht and shined it on Onion, revealing his shadow being huge and possibly similar to the one they saw earlier. "I think the flashlight just made Onion _look_ big." Connie said, figuring this was true.

"But the fence was ripped apart! Disintegrated even!" Doug argued sheepishly. "I've _have_ seen Onion with a blowtorch before...but maybe the kids had something else to destroy the gate." Steven said sheepishly. "I also found this piece of fabric stuck to the fence." Connie said, holding out the piece of cloth before looking at Onion who showed his foot to reveal a tear in his heel.

"Ugh, of course. It's never _actually_ something." Doug groaned in frustration, gaining Connie's attention. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Nothing's wrong, it's just my job isn't the exhilarating adventures you've been having with Steven or his twin sister. Or the life-threatening emergencies your mom deals with at the hospital. The most action I see is telling kids to quit loitering around. I was hoping maybe you'd get to see me take on a serious job. But I guess all I'm good at is being your silly, old dad." Doug admitted sadly before he accidently triped up on a gumball and fell.

The vandals laughed mockingly. "You're right, you _are_ silly." Connie admitted, getting the vandals to stop in confusion. "But that's why I like hanging out with you. I've got enough serious things going on in my life, like defending, being kidnapped or whatever. Sometimes I just wanna spend time with my dad." She finished with a soft smile.

"Thanks. You'er a keeper Veronica Cucumonga." Doug said with a chuckle before Connie laughed herself. "So did we stop the foes? O or X?" Nora asked with a smirk, pointing at the two symbols on the back of her hands. "I think the correct answer is O." Doug answered with a smile. "Correct." Nora said, as a sound went off, sounding like it was the correct answer.

* * *

Outside Funland once more

Doug had brought the four kids to his car and handcuffed them. Purity had also caught up after dismantling their getaway "Well, this'll be one heck of a story to tell back at the office." Doug said, feeling quite proud about catching the vandals. "Wow...I guess that's a job well done Mysteria." Zach said with thumbs up.

"Zach, you treacherous dumb loser! You ratted us out to the cops!" The teenager growled in anger and betryal, trying to hit Zach but was held back by Doug. "Bro take it easy. You're the one who ditched me!" Zach said coldly in his own defence.

Looking at the brutal kid, Steven could see that he was taller than Zach, looked to be around 15 years old, almost 16, had long brown hair, black fingerless spiked gloves, a dark green ripped tank top with an UFO being destroyed with an alien inside it and also saying: _E.T Go Home_. The teen also had a galaxy tattoo on him which had a purple middle within it.

"You're gonna pay for this!" Darren growled and nearly broke free from his cuffs. "Yeah, like he is so ignorant. But don't kill him because of that Darren." The female vandal pleaded, revealing to be a 14 year old blonde girl who was taller than Connie.

Immediately, Connie and Nora recognised them. "Cadence and Darren. Why am I not surprised?" Connie asked rhetorically while Nora cowered behind her brother. "Just...leave Zach alone." Nora squeaked. "Heh, well well well...Looks like you've chosen the side of Connie Maheswoozer and Nora Uslessverse." Darren said smugly.

"Leave them alone Darren. I like being around them, unlike you, I have found my place in the world, and I'm gonna keep defending them, even if I am with you idiots." Zach responded in anger. "It don't matter anymore." The hooded vandal yelled from within Doug's car. "Yeah, cuz you can consider yourself outta this gang permanetly." One of the other vandals yelled.

"Fine by me." Zach said with satisfaction. Cadence was then thrown into the back along with her vandal team. "Like, get your hands off me sir. You're gonna ruin my makeup!" Cadence pouted sadly.

"Wow...nice standing up for yourself Zach." Steven said with amazement along with Onion who smiled and put his thumb up for approval. "I see your future to be a very bright one yet." Purity added with a proud smile.

"Well...what are you supposed to be? A little dwarf version of Uslessverse?" Darren said to Steven and even glaring at him. "My name is Steven Universe, I'm Nora's twin brother." Steven said with a serious voice. "Huh, well...you just made the biggest mistake kid. Messing with my family, the galaxies, 'cause billions of em make up the universe." Darren threatened with a smirk.

"Well you forget one thing: A universe holds galaxies together. So you'd better leave my friends alone, because I'm not in the mood for fighting anyone like you." Steven said firmly before Darren was shoved beside Cadence and his two goons.

Doug was about to head out when he heard took notice to Onion one last time. Onion murmured something in Doug's ear and he pretty much understood what he meant. "What's that Onion? These kids said they also wanted to deliever you to here for some giant woman?" He asked in shock. Onion nodded in fright before Doug looked over at Darren and his gang sternly.

"Well...you guys are going to be staying overnight in a cell for attemptive kidnapping, breaking in and hurting the innocent." Doug said, getting into his car before getting ready to drive away. "Rgh! My father is gonna to hear about this!" Darren growled like a lion. "Yeah...let's not get him or your brother involved." Doug said firmly as he drove away, leaving the four kids and Onion on their own.

"Well...that was pretty awesome. What did you think Pu..." Nora said before looking at Purity, only to find that she was gone. "Where'd that lady go?" Zach asked, looking all around for any signs of Purity. "She teleported off. She tends to do that." Steven explained to Zach who shrugged in confusion. "So...can you give me a lift home Zach?" Connie asked her friend.

"Sure thing Connie." Zach said as he guided the gang to his Quad Bike. "Wow...a solar powered Quadbike? That's so awesome Zach." Steven complemented with amzement. "Thanks my dad made it so it saves a lot of energy. By the way...do you think I could crash at your place for tonight Steven?" Zach said sheepishly before asked with a sigh.

"Well...ok. But how come?" Steven asked as he got onto the back of the Quadbike with Connie and Nora. "Well, my parents are outta town for a while and I'm almost outta gas and...and...I got suspended from Middle School." Zach said before confessing at the end. "Suspended? What for?" Connie asked in fright. "Well...Darren framed me for something I didn't do. Plus Cadence suduced me to do her dirty work and the others...well I'd better not mention what they do." Zach explained sadly.

"We'll sort something out Zach, don't worry." Connie said with reassurance before Nora hugged Zach, helping him a lot. "Right, then let's get you girls home." He responded before starting up his quad bike. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Bye Onion, stay safe." Steven said before Zach rode off.

Onion then started to walk home, until he suddenly heard a large stomp coming from behind him. A large shadow of a figure appeared behind him along with a smaller shadow with wings and a tall and menacing figure. "Well well well, what do we have here?" A voice spoke, causing Onion to look back nervously.

* * *

 **(1) Bit of a reference to Kamen Rider Quiz here. Plus a little hint of Miraculous Ladybug in a way.**

 **(2) The Return of Zach Connors**

 **(3) I know what you guys are thinking. Even one of the Rubies are stupid enough to nearly reveal themselves.**

 **Well, am I glad that's over and done with**

 **Pretty good nonetheless anyway ^^**

 **Adios for now and stay turned for the next chapter**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^.**


	15. Are You My Dad?

**Greetings from Negaboss2000 ^^**

 **Back with the next part of Adventures of the Gems**

 **Enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Are you my Dad?**

 _ **(1)** Zach ran along the corridor along with a few fictional characters that he knew from video games and films._

 _He was currently carrying a weak anthropomorphic black cat along with the help of a robot named Kn4v3. "Hang on Echo, you're gonna be fine." Zach said, feeling like he was panicking on the inside in secret._

 _The gang were trying to help Echo get him back to his magic bell which held his abilities, but it was pretty harsh because of the psychotic powers of the Emotion Master who kept constantly attacking the gang with both white beams of light and through a couple of heroes that Zach knew._

 _Ghasmo the Graceful_

 _Peni Samurai_

 _Abe Sinian_

 _Liv Liquid_

 _Their allies were attacking them and it was problematic. What's worse was that Nora was nowhere to be seen. "We're almost there Echo. Just stay with us." Zach said once more as Echo got weaker by the second. This caught the Emotion Master's attention as he scowled in anger at Zach._

 _"You fools, do not dare take another step!" He growled, only for Echo's bell to ignore him all together. "Stop this instant!" He bellowed before firing a blast from his mind._

 _Thankfully Echo's bell blocked the attack. The Emotion Master tried firing again, only for the attack to be deflected once again._ _"_ _Do not defy me! I created you so that you would obey me! If you cannot do that, then I have no use for you!_ _" Roaring in anger, the Emotion Lord fired blasts from the heroes he controlled, Ghasmo, Peni, Abe and Liv, everyone of them fired a white blast at the bell._

 _All blasts were deflected by the bell but caused Echo to cry out tearfully, not wanting anyone to be hurt by the attacks. Thankfully, Zach had gotten Echo to his bell before handing him to the spirit who immediately hugged him and engulfed him in a bright light._

 _When the light dimmed a little, Zach found that he was all alone, and his allies were nowhere to be found._ _"Who's mommy's little angel? Oh yes you are, oh yes you are." A loving voice spoke._ _It was then that he saw a pink woman, hugging Nora. She seemed delighted to see the little girl, and Nora was hugging her too._

 _Zach was shocked when he saw the huge pink woman who hugged Nora. "N-Nora?" Zach called out in concern, causing the Pink woman to turn in his direction. However, she spotted something threatening before summoning a shield to defend herself, Zach and Nora from a blinding attack._

* * *

Present Day

Barriga Residence

Zach woke up when the alarm on his phone went off at 9:45. He groaned and switched the alarm off, oblivious to the blue gemstone that he found last night ceasing it's glowing. He yawned and sat up in bed to rub his eyes. He had a long day yesterday, he and Steven had gone to a party with the Cool Kids along with Sadie, Lars was even invited too...but he never showed up for some strange reason.

"Man...what a dream..." He yawned before looking around for his hoodie until he saw it on the end of Lars' bed. After yesterday, Steven discovered that Zach was actually Lars' cousin from out of town. It was really unfortunate when his quad bike ran out of solar power, so he had to spend the night at his Aunt and Uncle's house before refuling the next day. Zach then felt his phone going off before he looked over at it and saw his parents were texting him.

 _Zach, I heard you got suspended from school. This isn't like you._

 _We'll talk when we get home. I promise we'll sort this out._

Zach rolled his eyes in annoyance. He really hated when his parents found out about bad stuff like this, especially when it was something that he didn't do. Every time they'd nag him to death and even complain about _why_ he was with Darren Galaxy when that kid was in the wrong. But at the same time...they hated putting pressure on their middle child. "Man...I've gotta sort my life out." Somehow Zach felt stupid for talking to himself, but he also felt like his life was a mess.

He then took notice to the stone he found yesterday at Funland and went over to it. "So...what are you? Some kind of ultimate super weapon? Nah, maybe you're more of a psychic relic. Hmm..." He thought to himself, remembering how he found the gemstone that night.

* * *

Flashback:

 _In Funland_

 _Zach lay unconscious behind one of the prize booths._

 _He opened his eyes, when he heard a noise. He saw Cadence, lying on the floor, somehow she had been knocked out, which was mainly told by the bump on her head. "Cadence...what's goin...?" But before he could finish his whisper, the kid saw a couple of figures who approached Cadence._

 _One was a short figure, the second was huge with dreadlocks, the third was a slender figure with fluffy hair, the fourth was a buffed figure and the last was a taller than a normal human would be._

 _"Hmm...is this one my dad?" The short one asked. "Well I don't know which is which!" The slender figure stated in annoyance. "Just pick her up and ask her for cryin' out loud!" The buffed figure groaned in annoyance._

 _"Excuse me, little one. Are you My Dad?" The huge dread-locked figure asked politely as Cadence began to wake up. "Wha...?" She asked as she yawned to open her eyes to see the figures. "AAAH! NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! MY NAME IS CADENCE! MY DADDY WILL GET YOU!" Cadence screamed in terror as she tried to escape the grip of the figures._

 _All the while, the boy watched helplessly as he saw Cadence being assaulted by a figure who changed into a mist that infected her mind. At that moment however, the tall figure's navel began to glow an inverted light and when Cadence kicked it, a blue object flew out. It hit the ground with a ringing tone before it stopped when flew through the hole in the wall that Zach saw the people through._

 _"It said it was a Cadence. Not the one we were looking for." The tall figure spoke in annoyance before shoving her into the arms of the dreadlocked figure. "Get rid of the girl Goldsmuth, we cannot alert anyone to our presence." The slender fluffy figure ordered the huge dreadlocked figure who nodded and comically ran off with Cadence in her arms._

 _Zach then picked up the blue gemstone to see what it was to view it. "Woah...this looks pretty cool." He said to himself before hearing voices approaching from the other side._

 _Without thinking, the kid put the gemstone in his pocket before quickly sneaking through the back door. "Did you hear something?" "That must've been one of the humans we need. After them quickly!" A couple of new voices spoke before they went after him. "Zach, what have you gotten yourself into?" Zach asked himself rhetorically as the figures came after him._

Flashback ends

* * *

Looking at the Gemstone, Zach was pretty confused on what it was, but he felt like somehow it was important. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't expect anyone to knock on his door.

"Zach?" A voice asked from the other side of the door, revealing to be Lars' Dad. "Y-Yeah Uncle Dante?" Zach asked after a gasp of fright. "Are you ok?" His uncle asked, causing him to look around for a brief moment. "Uh...I'm fine." Zach responded sheepishly. "Oh good. Anyways, when you come downstairs, is it alright if we talk for a brief moment?" Uncle Dante asked. Zach agreed decided to go with the flow after he put the blue gemstone in his pocket and heading downstairs.

"Your dad was on the phone, he said something about you getting suspended for something you didn't do. What was that all about?" Hearing this from his Aunt Martha, Zach sighed and decided to tell everything. "Yeah...it started when this kid, Darren Galaxy, dragged me along to middle school, at night. He was planning to steal the answers to next day's test, but it turned out to be a ruse, those guys ditched me, I got caught and was suspended." He explained, causing his relatives to gasp in shock. "As in, the son of that crime boss? Why do you even hang with him?" Uncle Dante with concern for his nephew.

"I really dunno. I've been meaning to stop being with him...but it's been hard since he's a bit taller than me, he's got his dad who can ruin anyone and then...well there's his band of goons. Anyways, the night before, I was thrown out of the gang, and I was glad to be rid of those guys once and for all. But I still had my other problems to fix...and I honestly don't know where to start." Zach explained, feeling like the world had turned against him.

"Maybe just for a suggestion: Try and find someone who cares about you. By now...well I'm pretty sure there are a couple of people who you've been nice to. Like that boy called Jeff or those two wonderful girls you've seen." Aunt Martha said, mentioning a few of his friends' names. Even causing Zach to groan in embarrassment. "Oh, speaking of your cousin, have you seen Lars last night?" Uncle Dante asked, catching Zach's surprised and suspicious attention. "Huh? I...I thought he was already home. Didn't he come home last night?" He asked with concern, only to be met with his relatives shaking their heads in response. "Hmm...strange. This isn't usually like Lars to not return home." Zach said to himself in confusion.

After breakfast, Zach decided to head home. Having allowed his Quad Bike to charge up on Solar energy, he then packed up and prepared to take off. "Thanks for letting me stay the night Aunt Martha, you too Uncle Dante. I'll let you know when I see Lars." Zach said as he waved to his relatives before riding off. Zach stopped by Fryman's Fries to get something for the journey before hitting the road again. However, he was just on the road to his hometown when he heard his phone going off again.

He grumbled in annoyance, assuming it was his parents or one of his siblings, however...it wasn't. When he pulled over to check his phone, it was a text from Steven, and from the looks of it, it didn't look like he was in a playful mood today.

 _Problem. Found a gem, people of Beach City are missing and even Lars too. Meet us at my place, it's urgent._

Thinking about it for a moment after reading the text, Zach then thought about that he badly needed to get home to talk to his parents about being suspended thanks to Darren, but at the same time, his friend's brother needed help and he couldn't ignore it. Plus, his cousin was missing for some strange reason. "My dad's gonna kill me." He muttered to himself before turning around to drive over to Steven's house.

* * *

Earlier

Over at Steven's house _before_ Zach woke up

Nora had felt sick from being at a party with the cool kids last night. She wanted to go to school, but Purity saw the sickness within her and insisted that she take the day off until she got better.

After agreeing, Nora calmed down and eventually became happy. She was currently playing around with Garnet, Bismuth and even Lapis, not only that but Pearl was beginning to cope with having Nora around after a sudden change of heart. Purity was meditating on the sand with her rubix cube summoned and rotating in various ways without it even being touched. Lion had even come to see Steven, and somehow he took an immediate liking to Nora. Nora immediately found the pink Lion to be the cutest thing she had ever seen.

All the while however, Steven was busy running over to his mailbox to see if anything had come for him. " _~Hey Mister Postman, bring me a post! Bring me the post that I love the most._ " He sung to himself before opening up the mailbox with a smile, hoping to see his order, but only to find that nothing had come for him yet.

"Dagnabbit!" He complained in annoyance before closing his mailbox. "Yo, no package yet?" Amethyst asked, carrying a cooler with a lot of cans in it along with Citrine. "From lé looks of eet, I'd sai not." Citrine said with a little giggle. "No package, yet. I definitely ordered a pair of khakis from _The Distinguished Boy_ and I even got something special for Nora. They should have arrived by now. I'm a distinguished boy, Amethyst. Don't I deserve some distinguished khakis?" Steven asked as he checked the time on his phone.

"Aw, you want one of these instead?" Amethyst asked, offering a can to Steven. "No thanks." Steven said, sadly turning down the offer before looking at the corner of the mountain to see if the postman was coming. "Any second now." He said, squinting his eyes dramatically. "Why do you think 'e's doeng zat?" Citrine asked her sister in confusion, only to see Amethyst shrugging.

"Hey Mister Postman, bring me a post!" Steven said with excitement, jumping around the edge of the mountain to see if he had arrived...only to see nobody there. "Consarn it!" He grumbled in annoyance before walking back in disappointment. "Still no Jamie, I don't understand. He's usually so punctual." Steven sighed right as Amethyst took out another can before seeing him sighing and moaning.

"Hey, you shouldn't have to waste your whole day for some _thing_ in the mail. Take these magic beans to town and trade it for a donut." Amethyst suggested as she handed him another can of beans. "Air trade eet fair zumtheng zat yur seestair would love even mair." Citrine added with a smile.

The two of them caused Steven to turn around to see what Amethyst and her sister were both talking about. "You've been drinking...beans?" He asked in surprise. "They're good for the heart." Amethyst said along with Citrine who nodded in agreement.

"Unfortunately, I know from my experience that the Big Donut does not accept beans as currency. But, you two'd still wait for Jamie while I got us some donuts?" Steven asked with a sudden mood change. "Sure. Why not? We'll hold down the fort while you're gone." Amethyst responded, opening a can of beans in the process. "Oui." Citrine added with a nod.

"Amethyst! Citrine! Steven!" Pearl called over to the trio, gaining their attention in the process. "Look, we're building a tiny house. For Crabs." She explained, showing the sand castle she, Jewel, Bismuth, Garnet and Variscite had built for Nora. "It's called a sand castle Pearl." Vari explained in annoyance as Garnet picked up couple of Crabs from the sand.

"Welcome to your new home." Garnet said, placing them onto the castle. "Oh, they like it." Pearl said, adoring the two crabs in their castle. "I'm sure they do Mother." Jewel spoke with a smile. "Well Nora, whaddya think of it?" Bismuth asked with a smile, turning towards Nora who had just looked up from stroking Lion. "It's beautiful." She responded happily.

Steven smiled and even chuckled, mainly about the fact that he had a sister, because she was enjoying Beach City despite having to skip school because of her illness from last night. "Thanks Amethyst. You too Citrine." Steven said before running off towards the Big Donut. "No prob! Just bring me back a bear claw!" Amethyst said before drinking a can of beans.

Nora then got up to follow Steven, the gems understood why she wanted to go and they allowed her to do so. However...Purity had trouble meditating, for something troubling had crossed her mind.

* * *

Over at Beach City

Steven ran over to the Big Donut to get the doughnuts, until he then heard footsteps following him. He turned to see Nora chasing after him. "Nora? Shouldn't you be with the other gems? I mean, you are sick from last night." Steven said in surprise as he allowed Nora to catch up with him. "I just wanted to come with you to the Big Donut, just to get a drink for my throat. Besides, hopefully I'll be alright to go to School by tomorrow." She said with a smile.

"Yeah...but you're my responsibility, and I say you gotta go back and rest. Although...I guess it wouldn't hurt to get you a drink." Steven said before holding his sister's hand and bringing her to the Big Donut. But on the way however, the two kids ran into Sour Cream who had a ton of fliers. "Good morning Sour Cream." Steven greeted, but never got a response.

"Um...are you putting on a rave tonight?" Nora asked, having heard about Sour Cream's job as a DJ in Beach City. Hearing this, Sour Cream stopped in his tracks. "Oh, the fliers. No it's Onion." Sour Cream explained, showing what looked like a wanted poster, but it was replaced by a huge red word saying Missing.

Seeing this, the two twins looked at each other in concern and went over to Sour Cream. "He's been missing for a couple of days now. My mom and Yellow Dad are starting to get worried. You two haven't seen him around lately, have you?" He asked with concern. "No. The last time I saw him was in Funland two days ago." Nora said softly.

"Have you checked his favourite hiding spot in the woods?" Steven asked. "Sure did." Sour Cream responded. "What about inside the vending machine at Funland Arcade?" Nora then asked in confusion, mentioning that she once saw him in there after her first visit. "No luck. Blew a dollar checking it too." Sour Cream grumbled in annoyance. "What about that top secret room inside your house?" Steven then asked. "You mean his office? Of course." Sour Cream responded.

"This is so strange." Nora said, worried for Onion. "Meh. I'm sure he's fine Nora. If he's anything like me when I was a kid, he's probably...I dunno...raving in a friend's back yard." Sour Cream said as the two twins viewed one of the fliers. "Anyways, I'd better hang the rest of these up. Can you make sure Lars and Sadie get one of these? I wanted to hang one up on the Big Donut but it's closed." Sour Cream requested before walking off.

It took only a moment before the two twins took notice to what Sour Cream was saying. "Closed?" They both said in unison before looking at each other and running up to the Big Donut together.

Upon getting there, Steven tried to open the door forcefully, but had no luck so for. "Lars! Sadie!" He called before looking in through the window. The twins saw that the place was dark and nobody was in. "This is really starting to freak me out." Nora said quietly.

The two siblings then went round the back. "They have to be in here Nora." Steven said with confusion. "What if they were both kidnapped?" Nora asked, thinking the worst. "I'm sure they're here. Don't worry Nora." Steven said with reassurance before noticing the back door.

"I know what you guys are doing." Steven said with a sudden smile. "You...You do?" Nora asked in confusion."Yes. You guys are watching scary movies in the break room like you're not supposed to be." He said aloud before looking at the back door.

Steven then tried to forcefully open the back door. "Open up! Nora! And! I! Want! Donuts!" Steven yelled in the process. After a moment, the door suddenly opened to reveal Barbara Miller, Sadie's mother.

"Hey, you trying to break in or something?" She asked, nearly causing Nora to freak out. "Barb! Uh, uh. No, w-we were looking for Sadie and Lars but they're not back here." Steven explained nervously. "We?" Barbara asked in confusion before noticing Nora who waved sheepishly. "Oh hello. Who are you little one?" Barb asked as she shook the little girl's hand.

"Her name is Nora. She's my twin sister." Steven said, introducing his sister. "Well aren't you just the cutest little angel I've ever seen?" Barb said, adoring the little girl. "Anyways, how did you get into the Big Donut?" Steven asked in confusion, taking Barb by surprise a little. "Well, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't make a copy of all my daughter's keys." Barb explained, showing a few copies of her daughter's keys.

* * *

Inside the Big Donut

Barbara allowed the two kids and even allowed them to look around for any signs of Sadie and Lars. "I only came over to drop off Sadie's lunch but she wasn't home last night so I figured I'd bring it here." Barb explained. "What?" Nora asked in shock. "But the place was completely empty. Maybe its some baker's holiday. Certainly not a federal one." Barb finished as Steven noticed an empty cassette holder.

"Sadie never came home last night?" Steven asked, feeling like something bad was happening. "Ehhh...She's an adult. She probably just snuck off for another island adventure with her boyfriend like the last time." Barb stated from what she learned from her daughter.

"That's not possible." Nora gasped quietly. "What do you mean kiddo?" Barb asked in confusion. "Sadie and Lars were going to go to party together along with me, Nora and Zach, but.. Lars never showed." Steven explained, feeling something bad really _was_ going on.

"And when me, Nora, Zach and Sadie left, she said she was going home. And now Sour Cream is looking everywhere for Onion. And I was expecting a couple of packages today from Jamie but he never delivered them." Steven continued, making Nora shiver in the process.

"A couple of packages? You mean one about 'yay' big and the other 'yay' small?" Barb asked as if she knew it, causing Steven to gasp. "My distinguished khakis! And Nora's...well, never mind for now. Anyways, did you see Jamie with them?" Steven asked, mentioning something for Nora briefly.

"I did see them this morning. Just before sending him off to...your place..." Barb explained as Steven approached her. "Barb, this might be serious." Steven said with a serious voice, scaring his own sister indirectly and giving Barb a lot of concern.

* * *

After getting outside the Big Donut

Steven held Nora's hand for comfort as Barb followed them out. "I'll go see if me and Nora can find anyone on the board walk." Steven said with panic slowly rising within him. "I'll go check doorsteps for piled up packages, then we'll know if anyone else is missing. SADIE! DON'T WORRY, HONEY! MAMA'S COMING FOR YOU BABY GIRL!" Barb said with confidence before running off to find out who else was missing. "Good luck." Steven said quietly.

The two twins walked along the board walk to find the missing people. "Jamie, Onion, Lars, Sadie. Maybe they all are on vacation? No, whatever the case, it's up to us to find them." Steven said to himself. "S-Steven? What exactly did you mean this was serious?" Nora asked nervously. "Oh...I was just saying, it was a huge game of hide and seek." Steven lied, trying to keep his sister calm, and protect her overall.

"Oh, ok." Nora replied with a smile. Along the boardwalk however, Steven ran into Mr Fryman and Kofi Pizza who ran up to them instantly. "Steven! There you are. Have you seen my Kiki by any chance?!" Kofi asked in fright. "My two boys are also missing too!" Mr Fryman said frantiacally. "I last saw Kiki when she said she was going for a short run, but she has not come back yet!" Kofi explained frantically.

Eventually though, Steven calmed them both down and vowed he would find them before continuing on with Nora. The two siblings went over to Funland Arcade to find the missing people. "Jamie! Onion! Lars! Sadie!" Steven called out. "Kiki! Ronaldo! Peedee! Where are you?!" Nora called out with a pink polygonal microphone.

The kids waited a moment before not hearing anything, apart from the video game machine noises of course. Feeling a bit hungry, Steven went over to one of the vending machines to purchase a packet of Chaaaaps. He also purchased a drink of Sugar Shock Shut Down for Nora in the process. "Well, Sour Cream was right. Onion wasn't in the vending machine. And neither was anybody else." Steven said as ate a chip. "Nobody is able to fit into a vending machine." Nora said in confusion.

"I know...it's just...where could everyone have gone?" Steven stated as he helped Nora to open her can. "Are you my Dad?" A small voice asked, gaining the attention of the two siblings, causing them to see a small figure, about half of both Steven and Nora's height.

The figure had a bright cyan-blue skin, navy blue eyes, had no chin or nose and had cerulean-blue hair in a bobbed style. She wore something similar to a prep school uniform which consisted of a blue vest over a dark blue dress with a white collar, wrist-length gloves, white knee-high socks, dark blue flat shoes and a dark blue bow atop of her head. The other detail of the figure, was her light blue gemstone on her left cheek, similar to a teardrop which looked similar to Lapis' gemstone on her back.

"Oh ho! A gem!" Steven exclaimed in fright. "Aw...she's so cute." Nora said, thinking something entirely different. "Are you, my Dad? I need to find my Dad." The gem asked, approaching Steven who backed away in fright.

"N-No, I-I'm not." Steven said nervously, causing the blue gem to groan in annoyance. Nora attempted to pick the gem up and stroke her, but before she could, the gem grew water wings, like butterfly wings, and flew away. "W-Wait! Don't leave me with another enigma!" Steven pleaded, attempting to chase the gem along with his sister, but the gem was already long gone before they could even do so.

"Another enigma?" Nora asked in confusion. "Eh...it means riddle or something. Anyway, we have to tell the gems. Maybe they'll know something about it." Steven said firmly before they ran back to the temple. "Call Zach, since he's Lars' cousin, he might be able to help out." Nora suggested, allowing Steven to text Zach to meet him at his place.

* * *

Back at the Beach House

Steven had gathered everyone he knew, Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and Citrine, Connie, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Nephrite and Imperial Topaz. He had just explained everything to the Crystal Gems about the the light blue gem he and Nora had encountered. Zach had arrived and was explained everything.

"And the gem was under her eye. Our right, her left. And wings and yeah..." Steven explained as everyone drew what they thought Steven and Nora might have seen. They then showed their pictures to Steven so he could inspect them.

Connie went first, having drawn an anime styled version of the gem with good details. "I think I made one eye bigger than the other." She admitted sheepishly.

Amethyst and Citrine were next, and had drawn the gem, only more as a dog with wings. "I was going for a feeling." She explained in her opinion. "Oh mon Dieu." Citrine groaned in annoyance.

Bismuth went next, only she had carved it on a piece of stone, and looked pretty crude too. "Yeah...not my finest piece of work, but it'll do." She said firmly.

Imperia didn't even bother to draw, she just used her arrow to form the picture, which looked similar to the gem. "This is how I do art in my opinion." She explained with pride.

Peridot and Lapis went next, they both used one of their meep-morp crafting skills to build what they assumed the gem looked like. "Tada! Whaddya think Steven?" Peridot asked with excitement. "Close enough?" Lapis asked with a smile.

Nephrite drew something close to how he saw the gem, but not exactly the same. "Um...this might not be it Steven, but at least I gave it a good shot right?" She asked.

Pearl went afterwards, she had drawn a beautiful drawing of the gem with her name on the bottom right. "Honestly, I can't even draw a circle." She admitted despite not knowing of how beautiful her work was.

Finally, Garnet went last but...it wasn't the gem she had drawn, it was actually herself. "Ok Garnet, you just drew yourself." Steven stated in a bit of annoyance. "I like me." Garnet said sheepishly. "Come on, you can't blame Garnet for that." Bismuth pouted with a snicker.

"Right...anyway, I think Connie, Peridot and Lapis were the closets." Steven said, amazing his three friends. "Thanks." Connie said with a smile. "Yes! Victory is ours!" Peridot said triumphantly as she hugged Lapis. "Ai tuld you not to draw la gem lik zat Amethyst!" Citrine grumbled in annoyance at her sister, causing them to fight each other.

All the while, Zach sent the pictures to Doug, trying to see what he could find out about the shadow from Funland that night. It was then that the teenager took notice to the portrait of Rose Quartz herself. "This was a waste of time. We should be preparing for a fight. Whoever this is, she's from homeworld. She's got to be here for us." Pearl said, scrunching her drawing in the process and wanting to fight so badly.

"Patience Pearl." Purity said, suddenly appearing beside Garnet and Pearl, giving the others a bit of a fright. "A wise gem never seeks out a battle. But, they must always be ready for one. It's one of the first lessons I thought Rose." She went on, pointing to Rose's portrait. "Wow... your mom must have been so wonderful Steven." Zach complemented with amazement.

" _She shattered one of the Diamonds from what I've heard. Meaning, she killed her._ " Steven whispered to Zach's ear, trying not to let Nora hear the conversation. Zach froze in shock for a few moments before speaking. "Oh...right." He spoke as his face turned pale. "Hmm...while this gem may be a threat, the could also be a chance that she's on the run. Besides...I sense darker forces nearby." Purity said, having her attitude change to a serious one.

"O...k? Anyways, The gem said she's not here for us." Nora began having gotten a little scared by Purity's words. "She said she's looking for her Dad." Steven finished. "What?" The gems along with Connie and Zach said quietly. "Her Dad?" Pearl asked in confusion. "Hmm...this is strange." Purity added in curiosity.

"There are people all these people missing, like Jamie, Onion, Sadie, Kiki, Lars..." Steven started before being cut off by Zach. "Who also happens to be my cousin." He stated before noticing a grumpy look on Nora's face. "Which is not the point right now." He said as Nora finished what her brother started. "The point is, maybe this gem's Dad's gone missing too." She said.

"But Gems don't have dads!" Amethyst exclaimed in shock. "Ai agree. Me and Amethyst névair 'ad a dad, et néivair did any of ze Crystal Géms." Citrine added firmly until she and her sister saw Pearl's annoyed face. "Well...apart from Jewel who had Onyx as a Dad...anyways, not the point." Amethyst said sheepishly.

"This doesn't make any sense." Pearl said, denying the fact that it could be true. "Even I'm a little confused." Bismuth admitted with shock. "Steven's a Gem and Steven has a Dad." Connie reminded. "Steven is only half gem and half human... _at least for another while_. And Nora is a human with gem characteristics. But yes, they do have a father" Purity explained in agreement.

"There are no other Gems like Steven." Garnet said firmly. "Are you two sure?" Connie asked in confusion. "Yeah, are you? If you have all the power in the Universe? Then how come you can't tell us which Gem this is?" Peridot asked insultingly.

"I told you...that's not how my Omni-potential powers works. As for my other powers, it also takes a bit of time for me to regain my energy to use the power of a Sapphire, but time is something we do not have if it involves the humans disappearing from Beach City." Purity explained to Peridot crossly.

"She's right. We've got to get to the bottom of this. We should split up and investigate." Garnet said after standing up. "Ruby and Sapphire!" Steven and Nora both said with a gasp of joy. Only Garnet wasn't unfusing. "Ha, nice try kiddo. It takes more than that to separate Garnet." Bismuth said with a wink. "I meant split up into teams." Garnet explained. "Oh...right. Garnet with yourself, Pearl with Amethyst, Citrine with Bismuth, Lapis with Imperia and Nephrite, and Connie, Zach and Peridot with me. Let's go." Steven said, splitting everyone up into separate groups.

"I will search for the missing humans through the Mirror Dimension and find you if I find out anything." Purity said, using her power to open a mirror themed rift. "Mirror Dimension?" Zach asked in confusion. "Yes. A universe that mirrors our own, only reality cannot be affected in here." Purity said before walking through the portal as it closed behind her.

"I'll never understand why she said her powers don't work like that." Peridot grumbled. "Well maybe we'll find out why soon enough, now come on." Steven said, dragging the green gem out the door.

* * *

On the streets

Steven and his group kept a look out for any of the missing people he knew and even the little gem too. Zach had a bad feeling about what was happening, but Nora on the other hand, wanted to stroke the gem so badly. She had even brought a backpack full of treats for the blue gem and even a couple of her toys just in case.

"Connie, do you really think there could be another Gem like me?" Steven asked in concern. "Well, you know more about Gems than I do but it couldn't be impossible. Both you and Nora exist." Connie responded. "Yeah...I haven't been around any Gem for that long, so I know nothing." Zach admitted sheepishly.

"Maybe she's a little lost gem who's looking for a home?" Nora suggested with a smile. "Hmm...she didn't look half human though Nora, remember? She was blue and had butterfly wings." Steven said, reminding his sister. "Yeah, and maybe you should grow up and stop believing in fantasy tales you air-headed little..." Peridot started in annoyance, but was cut off by Zach.

"Woah...take it easy little miss dorito hair." He said, covering her mouth. "Don't listen to her Nora. She's probably in a mood today." Steven said sheepishly, causing Peridot to grumble as tried to speak. "What if this Gem were some minion who lures heroes to her boss and then kidnaps them, leading for the protagonists to find the missing people, go on an awesome space adventure, and get back to Earth to tell the tale?" Zach suggested with excitement.

The others paused before they turned to look at their teenage friend. "Wow...you've been playing too many video games, haven't you Zach?" Connie said as she raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm basically the master of video games, I even learn from them." He said sheepishly.

"That's awesome. I've played Mini Golf Quest, Lonely Blade RPG, Lonesome Lasso the Game and..." Steven explained to Zach who's eyes widened in amazement. "Koala Princess?" Nora asked quietly. "Um...no. But close enough." Steven said sheepishly. "Bro...we've gotta have a few rounds sometime!" Zach responded in awe.

All the while, Connie and Peridot rolled their eyes in annoyance, but smile nonetheless. "You guys are such nerds." Connie said jokingly. "Well, Miss Bookworm, why not give us your idea on what the gem could be?" Steven asked with a smile.

"Well in that case, what if she's adopted? What if she crash-landed in the big city and she was taken in by a lonely millionaire with a heart of gold?" Connie suggested with excitement. "And a house of gold." Steven added, seeing where Connie was coming from. "With a pool, a tennis court, lots of candy and..." Nora then added with excitement until Peridot covered her mouth with her hand. "Ok, Nora. I think we get the idea." Peridot said with a chuckle.

"But one day, he went on a business trip to Beach City, and he never came home." Connie continued. "I guess I'd watch the movie of that." Steven said. "I would too." Nora added with excitement, causing her brother to laugh slightly. "Or read the book." Connie said. "Or neither, 'cause it could be reality you guys." Zach said with a smile. "You really think so Zach?" Nora asked with a smile.

"Well, there's only one to know: Find out this stuff." Zach replied. "Are you sure you're not being delusional with video game nonsense?" Peridot asked in annoyance. "Yep, now let's go find out the truth you guys." Zach responded before turning to his friends. "Yeah." The gang said in excitement.

The gang were so caught up in their excitement, they failed to notice a golden figure spying on them nervously.

* * *

In Beach City Woods

The group searched through the woods for any sign of Onion. They searched through trees, in bushes and wherever else. Nora constructed a huge telescope to see if she could see anyone in sight. Zach on the other hand, used the blue gemstone to quickly climb to the top of one of the trees to fin anyone, but had no luck.

Peridot on the other hand was suspicious on how Zach was doing that. " _Hmm...no human is capable of moving that fast._ " She thought to herself as she took notice to the blue gemstone when Zach landed safely on the ground along with the others as they regrouped to report, and so far there was no sign of anyone. Connie then picked up a leaf before crumpling it and then held it up in the air to let it fly away with just a whoosh. "Yup, there's wind." She said before noticing Steven.

"Man...I just feel like I was here with Onion and his friends. Where could he be? Poor Sour Cream missing his brother, and Barb missing her daughter and her mailman, and Mr Fryman missing his two boys and Kofi missing Kiki. And even this new gem missing her dad." Steven admitted sadly.

Zach then went over to Steven to help him out a little. "Yeah...I know how you feel bro. I know what it's like to be worried about a dad...or a grandparent or a friend for that matter." He said, placing his hand on Steven's shoulder. "Yeah...or worried about them being taken away." Steven then said.

"Aw, she must be so scared and alone." Nora said sadly, feeling sorry for the gem. "But Steven...you were reunited with your long lost sister. And you got your friend back, and she's right here with you. And you'll be able to solve this too." Connie added, mentioning how Steven rescued her from the Human Zoo.

"We'll solve this mystery." Zach said with confidence. "Together." Peridot added with a wink and a smile. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot." Steven said as Connie smiled and hugged her best friend. Nora snuggled into Zach with awe as this happened. "Now let's go turn this woods upside down." Zach said before the others nodded in agreement. "Um...how is that possible?" Peridot asked in confusion. "It's a metaphor Peridot." Zach then said, ruffling Peridot's hair.

Steven and Peridot then went up to a log to look into it. "Onion! Lars! Jamie! You in here delivering packages to some mail boxes?" Steven called into the log just in case. "Ugh, that's not what you say Steven, let a professional show you how it's done." Peridot said before crawling into the log to search for anyone.

"HELLO! ARE THERE ANY CLODS HIDING OUT IN THIS STUPID LOG?!" Peridot yelled once inside the log, but no answers. "Hmph...there's nobody in here." She grumbled before attempting to back out. However...her hair became stuck in the log and she couldn't get out. "H-Hey, I'm stuck! Get me outta here!" She yelled, causing Steven to roll his eyes with a laugh before he and Nora went to help their friend.

"Ok, on the count of three, we're going to pull on her legs, ok?" Steven said to Nora who nodded as she understood. "Ok, one..." Steven started, but was cut off by Nora. "Three!" Nora suddenly said, pulling Peridot out of the log with a lot of strength and causing Peridot to fly out and hit the tree behind her. "Ow..." She groaned before looking at Steven without her visor on.

"Whoops, almost forgot about your Goggles. I'll go get them." He said, going into the log to retrieve his friend's visor. At that moment when Zach was snickering on what happened however, the blue gem appeared once again and landed on a branch of the tree behind Connie and Zach. "Steven! It's the gem!" Connie said upon noticing.

"Huh?" Steven asked in confusion. "Oh my stars. You weren't kidding about the blue skin Steven." Peridot added in disbelief despite her poor eyesight. "She looks just like my drawing." Connie said with amazement. "Only she's not an anime character Connie." Zach pointed out in shock. "Come on! You don't have to be afraid, me and my friends will help you. Jump down into my arms, my body will break your fall." Connie said, wanting to help the gem.

As Peridot was handed back her visor, she saw the gem and gasped. "Oh my stars..." She managed to say. "Are you my dad?" The blue gem asked softly. "What? Uh...no. I'm not your dad, but we can help find your dad." Connie offered, hoping that would help the gem. "Yeah. Don't worry, we can help you." Zach added with a nod.

"I'm not looking for Your Dad, I'm looking for My Dad. I need to find _My Dad_." The blue gem said bluntly, causing the two kids to look at each other in confusion. "Riiight, well, we'll help you." Connie responded in confusion. "Um...this is pretty weird." Zach whispered in Connie's ear.

"Oh my stars! Connie, Zach! Get away from that gem! I know why she's here!" Peridot said with a sudden frightened voice. "Peridot? What's wrong?" Steven asked with concern as he tried to get out of the log, but suddenly found out he was stuck himself. "Connie? Are you Connie?" The blue gem asked with sudden excitement. "Yes, I'm Connie. Me _Connie_ , Connie friend." Connie said, thinking the gem had understood her. "And I'm Zach. Just to let you...wait, why did you ask that?" Zach asked the gem in confusion.

The blue gem merely chuckled before sprouting her wings and flying off. "Topaz! I found one! I found one! I found a Connie!" She called out, making Zach and Connie a bit nervous and confused. "Steven?" Connie asked nervously. "W-What was that all?" Zach added, trying not to get nervous. "Connie! Hang on, I'm coming!" Steven said as he tried to get out of the log with the help of Nora. "We have to go, now!" Peridot said, immediately getting up to help Steven out of the log.

The earth then trembled, as birds flew from the trees, making Nora very nervous. Connie then pulled out her sword and Zach activated the blue gemstone just in case. The source of the trembles was revealed to be a huge figure who came forward, coming through the trees.

The figure was a large, broad and very muscular gem with short legs and powerful arms this time. A huge yellow gem with two gemstones with triangular facets and circular centre facets on either side of her head where her ears would be. This gem had a light yellow short, flat top hairstyle, yellow skin, a tinted orange visor which covered her eyes and either side of her head, brown eyes, wore a maroon vest with Yellow Diamond's insignia over a mahogany top, dark brown bottoms which even covered her feet.

However, there was one huge problem: The missing people, Onion, Jamie, Lars, Sadie, Kiki, Ronaldo and Peedee were merged within the gem, trying to call out for help, but had no luck, mainly because of their mouths being inside the gem.

The yellow gem looked at Connie and even made Zach gasp in shock as the two kids backed away in fear. "Another gem! She...She has everyone!" Connie exclaimed in horror. "I knew it, it's a Topaz!" Peridot yelped as she summoned her metal boomerang and went in front of Nora to protect her. "Bro...this is intolerable!" Zach yelled as he tried to look brae, but was more scared himself. "Let them go!" Steven and Nora in unison.

The huge gem, called Topaz, then began to glow before separating into two smaller version of herself, revealing that the gem was a fusion. "W-Wait. It's not one gem, that huge girl's made up of two smaller gems!" Zach exclaimed in realisation. "That's called a fusion you clod!" Peridot exclaimed in annoyance.

The two Topaz counterparts then ran towards Connie, grabbing each other's hands before before refusing, with Connie encased inside her. Connie was lucky enough to shove Zach out of the way before she was completely encase inside the Topaz. "CONNIE!" Steven, Nora, Zach and Peridot yelled in fright.

By then, Steven had broken out of the log to join his friends. "Give her back you gigantic Delta Kindergarten clod!" Peridot yelled as she thew her metal boomerang to hurt Topaz, but it didn't even lay a scratch on her head.

The blue gem then appeared again and landed on Topaz's head gracefully. "Look at those organics squirming around." She said, sounding evil with pride. "Log date 4-0-7. Capturing the list of humans has been successful, but any attempts to find _My Dad_ has been unsuccessful so far." A familiar voice like Peridot's spoke before a third figure appeared behind Topaz, revealing to be Squaridot from a while ago.

"You! You Shallow Strata, Zeta Kindergarten clod! YOU RATTED US OUT!" Peridot growled in anger. "Give us back our friends!" Steven ordered in rage, summoning his shield. "Yeah! Let them go and we'll spare your lives!" Zach added, preparing to fight.

Topaz seemed a bit surprised by Steven and Zach's courage and even admired them on the inside, but it was short thanks to the blue gem. "Don't bother listening to that _Steven_ , or that Zach, they're not _My Dad._ " She said, taking out her ribbon and turning it into a wand and firing a tractor beam like ray at Steven which she used to hurl him at a nearby tree.

Zach attempted to get Connie back by somehow using his Ultra Instincts, and it almost worked when he tried to pull Topaz apart, but Squaridot attempted to blast Nora with a paralysis beam, which caused him to take the blast for her and even sent him flying back into Steven along with Peridot.

Nora was too scared to do anything before Squaridot blasted her with a knock out beam. "Now all we need is _My Dad_ and w'ere out of here." The blue gem said, gaining the attention of Zach, Steven and Peridot.

"I can't believe they wasted an Aquamarine on a job like this. It's so easy you could've done it yourself, Topaz." The gem said, revealing her name as she chuckled evilly before leaving the forest on top of Topaz. "It doesn't matter you pebbles, just get moving. My Diamond is expecting these humans." Squaridot complained in annoyance. "No... You... can't... take the..." Steven managed to say before he fainted. "You...clods..." Peridot managed to say before she too fainted.

* * *

Three Hours Later

"Steven...come on, please wake up!" Nora's voice spoke, causing Steven to open his eyes. "Oh thank goodness, you're awake." Nora said in relief. Steven then got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head which still hurt a little. "Bro, take it easy, you're hit your head really hard on the tree." Zach said, helping his friend to his feet.

It was now the evening time, and the forest had become darkened. "I'm ok Nora. Don't worry about me. But, are you alright?" Steven then asked before Nora nodded her head with a smile. "This is no time to stand around you clods, we gotta get Connie back!" Peridot yelled, suddenly appearing between Zach and Nora.

"Connie...? Oh no! We gotta get back to the temple now!" Steven said in realisation before he and the four members of his group ran back to the temple at full speed. They had to get Connie and the other humans back no matter what came next, and Peridot had a look of guilt upon her as they ran back. But why?

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

 **(1) Zach usually dreams up fantasies in case anyone is asking.**

 **Uh oh...**

 **Talk about a bit of a cliffhanger chapter.**

 **Don't worry you guys, I'll release the next chapter asap.**

 **Negaboss2000 out**


	16. I Am My Mom

**Are you all prepared for this chapter?**

 **If so, then let's do this thing ^^**

* * *

 **I Am My Mom**

"This is an emergency!" Steven yelped in panic. "A huge emergency!" Nora added with a frightened expression. "A Gigantic Emergency!" Zach yelled in a serious tone. "A traitorous clod kind of emergency!" Peridot yelled, getting her group to look at her in confusion. "What? I mean, a galactic emergency when I say that." Peridot explained.

They had immediately gotten home where they other gems were waiting for them for a while and after hearing what had happened, they were horrified. "Why is Homeworld stealing humans from the boardwalk?" Pearl suddenly asked in shock and horror before any of the kids could answer Peridot. "No idea. They're only taking Steven's friends. Lars, Jamie, Sadie, Kiki, Ronaldo, Onion and Peedee." Zach explained from what he heard off of the blue gem. "They've even got Connie! We have to go rescue her, _again_!" Steven added, worried sick about Connie like the time she was taken by Blue Diamond. "Please! If we don't do anything they'll be taken into space!" Nora pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Oh goodness me! This is worse than I had imagined. If you say that Peridot you call _Squaridot_ has returned, then we could all be in grave danger." Purity said in a serious tone as she looked at Bismuth. "And our spaceship got jacked by Navy, so if they leave Earth..." Amethyst started, but was cut off when she looked at Garnet along with Pearl. "They'll be gone for good." The fusion said in a serious tone.

"What about the foot cruiser that you stole Peridot?" Bismuth asked, hoping that it could be their only way to catch those gems. "I'm doing some upgrades for the Crystal Gems on it, it won't be available for another 48 hours! Don't judge me!" Peridot groan in annoyance.

"Right...nevermind. Who were the uppercrusts who took your friends alongside Squaridot?" Bismuth asked as she knelt down to Steven's height. "That little gem Nora and I saw before, her real name's Aquamarine." Steven explained, causing Pearl to freak out along with Lapis. "What?!" They both screamed in unison. "She's also got a huge friend, a fusion named Topaz." Zach added and even shivering at the mention of the name.

"A Topaz fusion, and an Aquamarine?" Pearl said in horror. "Is anyone else really nervous by this?" Imperia asked nervously. "I'm freaking out. Connie could be in really big trouble if she goes back to the zoo! She told me that she upset the humans there." Lapis explained, remembering Connie told her after she had gotten back from the zoo. "Are those gems a big deal?" Amethyst asked in confusion. "Aré zéy maire powairful than any othair gem?" Citrine then asked.

"Uh, yes!" Pearl screamed at the two sisters. "Calm down Pearl. Anyways, Blue and Yellow Diamond must have sent those uppercrusts personally." Bismuth stated after calming Pearl down. "The Diamonds? Oh no. They must be collecting mor humans for the zoo!" Steven yelped in panic.

"Who are the Diamonds?" Zach asked in confusion. "Are you serious?! The Diamonds are Colonisers who claim other planets for themselves, drain the resources to make more gems and..." Peridot started frantically, but was stopped by Steven. "Peri, stop that. You're frightening Nora." He said, revealing that he covered his sister's ears once Peri started her rant.

"Wait a moment. There are loads of humans on Earth. So why are they only grabbing Steven's friends?" Lapis asked in confusion. "Lapis my girl...this I do not know...but this is bad." Purity said in shock, causing everyone to look at her. Just then, Steven's phone buzzed along with Nora's and Zach's too. "Who was that?" Peridot asked in confusion. "It's from Connie! I know where they are!" Steven said, showing a picture Connie sent which looked to be Funland.

"That's where they've gone!" Purity gasped in shock. "That tears it! Come on you rocks, we gotta save those humans!" Bismuth said before the other gems nodded in agreement. Lapis was hesitant, but she nodded slightly.

Bismuth gathered the remaining Crystal Gem Survivors, Nephrite's two crew members and even Carnelian where she got out a pack of weapon upgrades. Even Garnet and Pearl were helping them out.

"How could this happen mother?" Jewel asked in shock, whilst sharpening her sword, after hearing what her mother had told her. "I don't know Jewel, but we'll stop those gems, I promise you." Pearl said, comforting her daughter before handing her one of her own swords.

Peacock Topaz' counterparts had upgraded their fan weapons to peacock themed claw weapons. Mainly because they wanted to scratch that yellow Topaz so badly. Sphal and Vari had both agreed to work with each other for tonight.

ButterWing's job was to go to the skies and look out for any sign of movement in funland along with Mali.

Lapis and Peridot weren't sure how this would end, but they went with the plan anyway. Alll the while, Shadow Agate was to guard the entrance to Funland no matter what.

Nephrite had gathered her crew and gave them weapons just in case of any trouble.

"Hey but...I wanted that upgrade." Ice pouted to Bix who wanted to use a sharp edge for her shovel, leaving Ice with a bit of a pathetic upgrade. "Ugh, fine. I'll take that one." Bix groaned in annoyance as she switched her upgrades.

"Right, come on you rocks, let's go get those homeworld uppercrusts!" Bismuth yelled after upgrading her mallet to a war hammer. She was about to follow the team out, when she looked back towards the breaking point, laying on the counter, and then took it only for the worst case scenario.

* * *

Over at Funland after a few moments

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Peridot, Lapis, Bismuth, Nephrite, Citrine, Imperia and Purity ran into FunLand whilst the other gems took their positions around the amusement park and spread out to make sure nobody excaped.

"Stay alert. They could be anywhere." Garnet said quietly, trying not to alert Aquamarine or Topaz. "You got it Garnet." Bismuth responded, pulling out the breaking point and gaining Pearl's and Purity's attention. "Bismuth..." Pearl gasped in shock as she covered her mouth. "You better not use that." Purity said with a frown, "In case of emergencies only." Bismuth explained before Purity thought about it and nodded.

"Did Connie send you guys anymore pictures?" Amethyst asked. "Anything which could help us in anyway possible?" Peridot added nervously. "No, nothing." Steven said as he checked his phone. "Not even my phone." Zach said as he checked his phone.

"We know they're here somewhere." Pearl said before running off with Garnet and Amethyst. Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot on the other hand, stayed behind to keep an eye on Steven and Nora. "Hm...where could a huge girl and a little girl go with so many people that fast?" Zach wondered to himself.

"Connie? Lars? Kiki? Sadie? Ronaldo? Onion?" Steven called out quietly before sighing. "Why them?" Nora asked quietly. "Maybe...maybe it's because..." Peridot started, but was cut off by a simple thought. "Try ringing Connie's phone. That may give off her location." She then said as Steven nodded in agreement before calling Connie's phone.

The three kids then heard a ringing phone nearby. Steven would recognise it anywhere, it was the same song that Steven had played when he had his first dance with Connie on the beach where they both formed Stevonnie for the first time. "Follow me." Steven said before running in the direction of the ringtone.

Zach and Nora followed him for a moment as they tried to pinpoint the ringtone's location, but only when Steven stopped did the two kids look around for the source...and that was when they saw it: Connie's phone was right in front of Steven and still ringing, there was nothing else there.

"Oh my stars..." Peridot gasped in shock. "Steven! Was that Connie's phone?" Pearl asked in shock. "It is." Zach stated as he looked at his friend's phone. "Hmm...something does not seem right. If Aquamarine knew what this phone was...she would have smashed it." Purity started, looking at it with shock. "But...Connie must have dropped her phone before she could let you know where she was." She continued with shock.

"You're right Purity. From the looks of it, she dropped it recently. So that means those clods are...are...a-are..." Peridot started but cut herself off, stuttering. "They're what?" Nora asked in desperation.

The group then got their answer when they heard heavy footsteps coming from behind the kids. "They're right behind us, aren't they?" Zach asked nervously before slowly turning around to see Topaz' face looking right at them along with Aquamarine who was right below her.

"Oh no! You found us." She said smugly in a sing. And in the nick of time, Sadie and Onion appeared and mumbled frantically. "Help!" Jamie managed to say with his mouth no longer being stuck in Topaz' body. "Don't worry Steven. I can handle this!" Ronaldo said, attempting to punch Topaz, only to hurt his own fist in the process as he yelped in pain.

"Give it up Aquamarine! There's nowhere left to run!" Steven said firmly as Topaz and Aquamarine came out from their hiding spot. "Oh, what's this? Did you think we were running away?" Aquamarine asked with a chuckle. "You better not have." Bismuth growled as she prepared to fire the breaking point.

"Steven, save yourself... after you save us!" Jamie sated, feeling quite afraid. "I told you, I can handle this!" Ronaldo yelled as he kept punching Topaz' head by the back, but only improved on more pain to his fists. "Uh...is he always like that Steven?" Lapis asked in confusion. "You have no idea Lapis." Steven responded.

"Huh. You know, now that I think about it, this Steven does seem to know everyone on our list. The list did come from a Steven, after all. Maybe you _can_ help us out." Aquamarine said after getting her wand out and pointing it at Steven who was very confused. "In what way could that _Steven_ help us out you useless pebble?! Those gems popped me into a limbless cloud, destroyed my original Limb Enhancers, now I have to use these useless bootleg versions of them." Squaridot pouted in annoyance.

"Well that's what you get for trying to hurt my friends uppercrust." Bismuth said calmly with a smirk. "Now stop this madness and release the humans. I can assure you that no harm will be inflicted." Purity then said firmly as she stepped forward. "Uh, no." Aquamarine said in refusal before turning towards Sqauaridot, making Purity quite disappointed. "Who are these dullards?" The blue gem asked Squaridot.

"We're the Crystal Gems you little brat!" Bismuth growled in sudden anger as Imperia and Pearl tried to hold her back. "Yes...and I am Paragon Diamond, most powerful of all the Diamonds." Purity said calmly but glaring at Aquamarine at the same time. "Yeah, yeah. Rose Quartz's old lackeys. That was in the report, too...apart from a Lapis Lazuli, a Bismuth, a Nephrite, an overcooked Citrine and a Skinny Imperial Topaz. We're not here for any of you rogue gems..." Aquamarine started until being cut off by Squaridot.

"Paragon Diamond? As in, _the_ Paragon Diamond? The most powerful Diamond in existence?! You don't know who you're speaking to Aquamarine!" She exclaimed in panic but was shoved away by Topaz. "Oh get a grip you stupid pebble! Anyways...me and my happy troop will leave you totally alone... _if..._ you tell us where we can find my dad." Aquamarine said, at first sounding smug, but the next moment...she sounded threateningly.

"Ugh, again with that?! What exactly do you mean by _my dad_ you little brat?!" Zach asked angrily, his patience having run out entirely before being calmed down by Nora. "Let's see. Yellow and Black Diamonds asked for, uh, my dad, a Connie, a Lars, a Sadie, a mailman, a Kiki, a Ronaldo, a Peedee and an Onion, I think. Nine human variations specified in a report. One that you gave us...Peridot 5XG." Aquamarine explained, looking at Peridot and causing Steven and her to gasp in realisation.

* * *

Flashback:

 _"So tell me: Have Stevens replaced humans as the dominant species on Earth?" Peridot asked whilst looking at Steven. "Oh no. There's lots of humans, there's My Dad, Connie, Lars and Sadie, Peedee and Ronaldo, Kiki, the mailman, and Onion...I think." Steven responded with a smile._

Flashback Ends

* * *

Steven and Peridot were absolutely horrified, the very reason why Aquamarine was collecting humans and saying she was looking for her Dad was actually because of the list of humans within Peridot's file. "The list..." Steven started in horror. "Oh...my...stars..." Peridot squeaked in terror. " _We_ gave them the list." The duo said in unison, looking at each other like they had caused all of this.

"What are you talking about?" Pearl asked in confusion. "Y-Yeah...it's not as if..." Lapis started before realising _why_ the duo were freaking out. "Aquamarine...she doesn't have a dad." Steven said in shock. "She's...actually looking for someone named _my dad_." Peridot confessed with fright building up within her. "Wait...you gave those gems the list of humans?!" Lapis then said in complete shock, making Bismuth, Imperia and possibly Amethyst mad. "Lapis, I swear, it's not what you think!" Peridot said, trying to reassure Lapis.

Nora was freaking out a little and Zach had to calm her down. "You ratted those humans out, didn't you?!" Bismuth growled after grabbing Peridot. "It was a long time ago. And back then, I still served homeworld!" Peridot tried to say in a panicked voice, but was cut off by Imperia. "Did you lie to everyone just to save your own gem?!" Nephrite asked in anger. "No..." Peridot responded meekly. "Were you secretly a spy?!" Imperia asked as her gem glowed with rage. "No." Peridot responded in annoyance. "Did you want them to come back so you could destroy them but it horribly backfired?!" Amethyst asked angrilly. "No!" Peridot yelled. All the while, Aquamarine snickered at the argument.

"Then how come they have the list in the report you sent to Yellow Diamond?!" Pearl asked in fury. "I DIDN'T SEND THE REPORT IN TO YELLOW DIAMOND!" Peridot screamed, her voice echoing throughout Funland, causing Bismuth to drop her. "W...What?" Lapis asked in surprise. "I was only keeping that not in my private section. But I never sent it in to that Yellow Clod. I use that private section for studies." Peridot explained with tears pouring from her eyes.

"Indeed. She's right about that. _I_ was the one who came across the list when I looked into your database." Squaridot said, pulling up a screen on her limb enhancers which revealed what Peridot meant and causing the gems to gasp. "You ratty clod! That report wasn't your's to take!" Peridot growled in anger at Squaridot. "It was since I found it in the homeworld files, plus...you did betray Yellow Diamond from what I've heard, so it's mine now. Consider this... _Revenge_." Squaridot said with an evil snicker.

"My stars, this is all my fault." Peridot admitted in shame. "Don't worry Peridot. What's done in the past cannot be changed. The future is most important." Purty said with reassurance as she placed her hand on her shoulder. "Besides, our objective's still the same: Beat the Gems..." Garnet started before allowing Steven to finish the rest. "Save our friends!" The young boy said with a confident smile. "Yeah boy!" Zach said as he high-fived Steven. "Please get Connie out safely." Nora pleaded as she constructed a pink polygonal shield just in case.

"Have no fear Nora, we will get her out safely." Purity said with reassurance before summoning her rubix cube and using it to form a sword. "Yep. Besides...I've still got plenty of payback to give those uppercrust." Bismuth said with pride. "Yeah. Eet eez on-lee three of zem." Citrine pointed out. "Oh...did I forget to mention. When I said me and my happy troop, I didn't mean just us." Aquamarine said, her smug look never changing.

After hearing a noise above the three gems, Steven and the others saw the Ruby Squad then appeared above Aquamarine and Topaz, and boy they didn't look happy, apart from Leggy who was confused and concerned for the Crystal Gems and Navy who smirked evilly at them. "Hello you Crystal Gems!" Eyeball growled in expectancy.

"Eyeball...what are you doing back here?" Steven asked in surprise. "You messed with the settings on our ship! We were warping into different sizes before we landed on homeworld!" Doc explained with a growl. "I grew a long nose!" Navy added in sudden anger. Peridot then remembered the day when Navy stole back the Roaming Eye before she snickered. Her snickering then grew into a huge laugh and even Lapis joined in too.

"Ha! Serves you right for taking the Roaming Eye. I forgot to mention, I hacked the settings to make it our size. This makes me feel better already." Lapis said, causing the rubies to look at each other with confusion and insult. "UGH! You idiots! Leaving me in space...was the worst mistake you ever made!" A familiar voice spoke before a figure sliced through the bottom of the wooden floor in front of the gems, revealing to be none other than Black Nephrite. "Woah...I honestly forgot about her." Amethyst said sheepishly along with Citrine who nodded. "Hmph, then I guess it wouldn't be the first time you runt!" A familiar voice spoke.

"Yeah, whatever Japser. Wait...Jasper?!" Amethyst said in annoyance before realising what she said before seeing a figure behind Topaz that was about Jasper's size and bulky looks. "Woah...Japser...whatever this is about, please don't do this...I wasn't trying to strand you in space." Steven pleaded firmly. However, Jasper moved forwards into the light to reveal something hideous about herself. "You think... _I..._ would show mercy, after what _you've_ done to me?!" She asked angrily, revealing that her body had teal-coloured markings and horns from her corrupted state, which had somehow managed to grow on her instead of corrupting her. Steven and the others recoiled in horror at the sight of Jasper's corrupted spots. "Woah...what happened to you?" Peridot asked in shock. "What you did to me you treacherous runt!" Jasper growled.

"Hey, you were the one who fused with that corrupted gem." Bismuth said, causing Aquamarine, Black Nephrite and Eyeball to gasp in shock, but only fuelling absolute Jasper's anger. "And if you had stayed out of my way, this wouldn't have happened!" The perfect...or rather, not so perfect Quartz growled. She tried to attack, but was cut off by another gem who appeared beside her. "Drusy Quartz...you have some nerve being here after what you did." Purity said in disappointment. "With all due respect Purity, I wasn't _asking_ for permission to be here." Drusy responded in anger. "Druse Master, whatever's making you angry, we can fix it." Steven said, trying to help the star gem, but Drusy refused to accept help.

It was then that Hessonite appeared behind the Ruby Squad. "Ah...so we're all gathered together then?" She said before one final figure appeared behind Topaz, revealing to be none other than Bismuth's old work buddy, Goldsmuth. "Wow...is it weird that we're at the same place at the same time?" She said with a hint of excitement, causing Bismuth to groan in embarrassment. "Goldsmuth...of all the gems..." The rainbow gem said in embarrassment. A dark vortex then appeared in front of the villainous gems before two figures walked out, one was Bloodstone who transformed back to her solid form, and the other...was Black Diamond with chaotically orange eyes.

"So...the rumours are true after all. There are still Crystal Gems on Earth." Black Diamond said, viewing her enemies. "And look who's here. Paragon Diamond, still wandering the planet I see." She added venomously. "Noir..." Purity growled in anger, gaining the attention Steven and Nora. "Heh...I figured Rose would protect a bunch of misfits." Noir said in disgust. "Oh man, this is gonna be impossible to get those people back." Amethyst said in shock. "We gotta try anyway." Zach said, trying to help Steven keep the spirits of everyone up. "Let's do it." Nora spoke up despite being a bit scared.

"You take the big banana Garnet, we'll take care of the rest." Bismuth said before Garnet nodded and rushed in to attack Topaz. "Hey, Black Diamond, look! They want to lose another fight." Aquamarine said to Black Diamond obviously. "Well of course. Go...have fun you lot." Noir spoke calmly to the other gems who immediately began to attack the Crystal Gems.

Garnet was the first to take on Topaz, she tried hitting the fusion on her bulky arm, but Topaz used Jamie as a human shield, causing Garnet to gasp in shock. "No, Garnet, I've moved on, I swear!" Jamie pleaded, thinking Garnet was going to hit him, but she wasn't. Garnet had immediately slowed down long enough for Topaz to grab her and throw her into one of the prize booths.

"Garnet!" Steven and Nora yelped in fright. "That's Dirty!" Amethyst yelled in anger. "Yeah! Ai agree!" Citrine added with a growl before Pearl jumped up into the air. "My spear can reach her without hurting the hostages." She said firmly before aiming her spear at Topaz. Aquamarine however, didn't even mind what the gems did. "Oh, you're so smart." Aquamarine said smugly before firing her wand at Pearl and caught her. "Goodbye!" She said, lifting Pearl higher into the sky.

Jewel saw this from outside the entrance to Funland and rushed into help along with Ice and Sphalerite. Amethyst meanwhile used her whip to grab hold of Connie's wrists in attempts to pull her out. "Just be gentle Amethyst!" Nora squeaked before constructing a huge wall behind Topaz so she didn't escape.

Zach then tried to help Connie out by separation from Topaz' counterparts, and while he failed when the two Topazes tried to attack, thanks to his strange abilities from the gemstone, he dodged them before accidentally landing on Hessonite. "Don't worry Hessonite, I got him." Goldsmuth said as she tried to catch Zach, but missed a few times until the teenager landed on her head. Goldsmuth attempted to knock him out with a shape shifted hammer, but ended up knocking herself out. "Yep...that's Goldsmuth for you." Bismuth said with a chuckle. "Woah...I think I'm getting the hang of this." Zach said to himself in amazement.

Lapis and Peridot took on Bloodstone, but because of that gem's matter transforming abilities, it was extremely hard to hit her. But thanks to the arrival of Ice, the gem was immediately turned to water for Lapis to fire into the nearest tank. "Wow...from gas to Liquid...I think that was pretty awesome Lapis." Peridot complemented, causing Lapis to blush.

Nephrite and Jewel took on Black Nephrite and Hessonite which was a bit hard, but she managed to get the better of them. "Ugh! Some commander you turned out to be Black Nephrite! You were supposed to collect those Gems and bring them to us for cluster fusion testing!" Hessonite growled in anger as she tried to penetrate Jewel's armour, but had trouble in doing so. "Hey! Was it _my_ fault they ruined everything?!" Black Nephrite asked rhetorically in anger, giving Jewel enough time to entrap the two gems' legs, leaving Nephrite to smash both of their heads together. "Wonderful job Jewel." Nephrite complemented.

Bismuth took on Drusy Quartz and Jasper with both the Breaking Point, trying not to shatter the two gems, and her war hammer. "Why Drusy?! Why go against everything Rose stood for?!" The rainbow gem asked in desperation. "Because what she said is nothing but lies! You don't know her like I did!" Drusy roared whilst putting in a lot of brute force into fighting Bismuth. "She shattered Pink Diamond, so I'll shatter her!" Japser growled as she tried to turn the breaking Point towards Bismuth's gem. "And then what Jasper?! Will you finally be satisfied?!" Bismuth asked, taking the two gems by surprise.

Thankfully at that moment, Amethyst used the Star Crystal she was given by Bismuth and immediately tackled Jasper to the floor with super speed and super quick moves. "Ha! I love that purple gem!" Ronaldo said in amazement before being knocked out by a very annoyed Squaridot. "Now we're even Jasper." The purple quartz said in relief to Jasper before throwing into one of the prize booths. Garnet then confronted Drusy and together with Bismuth, they cornered her. "Why are you going through all this just to hurt Rose's memory?" The fusion master asked. "It's not what _she_ said or did...it's what..." But before they could get an answer, the rubies had combined into their fusion form and attacked the two gems.

"Prism of light, I call upon you to help us!" Purity said before summoning the light Prism from her gem and setting it on the red fusion. With them distracted, Purity then turned her attention towards Black Diamond who was attempting to hurt Nora. "Whatever happens, do not interfere Steven." She said to Steven before she took on Black Diamond with her sword at hand. The dark diamond then summoned an inverted black light sword and fought her enemy with it.

"I should have known you'd survive the attack of my fellow sisters! This was to be my colony, not Pink's, and thanks to you...I missed my chance." Noir spoke as she tried to her opponent. "You do not dishonour my pupils or what their flaws are while I am around!" Purity spoke as she split her rubix cube into pieces before firing them at Noir who was blasted back, but used her portal generation to counter attack Purity by kicking her towards Nephrite who caught her instantly. It was then that she was preparing to snap her fingers, which to the powerful gem, wasn't a good sign. "Do not let her snap her fingers." Purity whispered to her cloak before it magically flew towards Noir's hand and covered her right hand in an instant. Noir was then overwhelmed by Citrine who bounced around the diamond constantly and even annoying her before being thrown away along with Purity's cloak.

Nora and Steven still tried to get Connie out, but it was no luck, and the situation was only made worse when Jasper spotted them and gasped in shock. "What...the two of you brats are...?" She said, figuring what this meant before changing her attitude. "Whoever it is...no...I'll destroy you both!" However, Jasper was quickly attacked by Citrine and Imperia who blasted the quartz and sent her flying into Hessonite. "Thanks Imperia...I owe you one." Steven said with a smile. "Anything for one of my buddies." Imperia spoke before the Crystal Gems re-banded and prepared to take on the homeworld gems.

"This is getting annoying...and out of hand. Hey, Black Diamond, can you remind me? I mean, my memory is perfect, but our orders from you and your sisters were to bring back these nine humans. I'm just not sure. Did they specify... _alive_?" Aquamarine asked before giving a sinister look towards the Crystal Gems who looked absolutely horrified. "No Aquamarine...I don't think they even did mention. Now that I think about it...let's show these Crystal Gems what real failure looks like. Topaz, if you please." Black Diamond said before looking at Topaz to hurt one of the humans.

Topaz however, didn't even budge an inch. She was quite hesitant with hurting one of the humans, especially when she saw Nora's pleading eyes. "Well Topaz?" Aquamarine asked in annoyance, but still the fusion didn't budge. "Fine...be that way then." Noir groaned in annoyance towards the huge fusion Topaz before forcefully separating the two gems by force before putting them together once again. Even though the two counterparts had the humans in their hands when they separated, Connie was dropped to the floor instantly.

Connie immediately tried to make a run for Steven, but she was cut off by Black Diamond who paralysed her abilities. "Uh uh uh, I didn't say you could go...ever." Noir said with a smirk before clutching Connie in her grip and lifting her to her head. "Let her go Black Diamond!" Steven demanded in anger. "Yeah! Let me go so I can take you on you monster!" Connie said, struggling against the Diamond's crushing grip.

"Heh you're quite feisty, aren't you?" Noir asked evilly before gazing at her. "What? Am I supposed to be afraid of you?" After hearing this from Connie and blinking, the whites of Noir's eyes turned black and the pupils turned a bright orange. Seeing the eyes, Connie somehow saw a horrifying trance of what she was afraid of, and possibly what could happen in the future. She saw Steven being angry at her for something that happened to Nora, her parents were possibly taking her away from Steven forever.

Noir then dropped Connie to the ground before Steven, Nora and Zach quickly rushed to her side to help her. "What did you do to her?!" Zach asked in shock. "Oh all in good time...you'll soon see." Noir spoke as Connie looked towards her friends with orange pupils in her eyes and a look of pure fear. "S-Steven...?" She whimpered. "Connie, it's gonna be alright. I'll fix this." He said, stroking his friend's hair for comfort. "Noir...this has gone far enough. You've got to stop this madness!" Purity spoke in a deeply angered voice. "Please...I don't want this anymore." Nora cried with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I agree little one, especially because we're now behind schedule." Aquamarine said in annoyance.

"Now...I'm going to count to ten, and if I don't hear an answer by then...I'll snap my fingers and you'll be gone and the humans will be... _dead_." Noir spoke as she used her inverted aura once more, causing her minions to gasp before running behind her. "I'd listen, she means it." Goldsmuth pleaded in fear, but it didn't stop the Crystal Gems from keeping their guard up.

"One..." None of the gems answered Noir.

"Two.." Still no answer, which made Goldsmuth worried.

"Three..." Pearl held her spear up and prepared to throw it just in case.

"Four..." Lapis felt a little nervous, but Peridot held her hand and stood her ground. "You're trying my patience." Noir spoke with anger.

"Five, Six, Seven, Eight..." By then, Noir sounded impatient and nearly snapped her fingers.

"Ni..." But before Noir could continue, She was immediately stopped by Steven. "STOP! Ok, I know where you can find my dad." He said, causing Noir to stop glowing. "There...That wasn't so had now was it?" Noir spoke with satisfaction. " ** _So tell us...where, is My Dad?_** " Bloodstone asked, having transformed back to her mist form.

"Right here. I'm the one you're looking for. I am my dad!" Steven said, making the gems and Nora shocked in the process, apart from Purity of course who knew what Steven was up to. "And I happened to stop the cluster from Emerging from this planet, not only that but I've also been beating all of these clods! So...who's gonna take me with you?" Peridot added with pride, making Lapis shocked.

"S-Steven, don't do it." Connie said in shock before being helped to her feet by Steven. "I'll be with you the whole way. Whatever it is you're afraid of, we'll get through it together." Steven said before Connie's pupils turned back to normal along with her courage.

"I know what you're thinking, Topaz. It seems a little suspicious that my dad is also a Steven. But you know... if it means getting out of here, I'll believe it." Aquamarine said with approval, making Jasper, Eyeball, Black Nephrite and Drusy Quartz annoyed in the process. "Well go on then, go get them you useless boulder." Noir ordered Topaz who immediately unfused to entrap Steven and Connie.

"Steven..." Nora squeaked in fright for her brother's safety. "A-Are you sure know what you're doing?" Pearl asked with concern. Steven and Connie turned back as they both nodded and smile to say yes. "Steven, don't do it bro!" Zach yelped, immediately running to help his two friends out along with Nora, but they both ended up being trapped in Topaz too.

"Oops..." Zach said sheepishly when he found that he couldn't move his body within Topaz. "Oh hey coz. Your parents were looking for you." He then said upon seeing his cousin, causing Lars to groan in annoyance. "You didn't think this through, did you Zach?" Connie asked in a worried voice. "No..." The 15-year old admitted sheepishly, earning another grumble from Lars.

"Steven! I can't move!" Nora said, freaking out a little. "Don't worry Nora, I'm gonna bust us all out with my bubble power!" Steven said as he tried to use his bubble powers...but found that he couldn't because of Topaz' body. "Her body is so thick. This might be a little difficult." Steven groaned as he kept trying to activate his bubble.

"Well then, if there's nothing else to do here..." Hessonite started with a smirk. "Then it's time to go." Aquamarine finished, pointing her wand into the air which activated something on top of the merry-go-round. The object floated until it was revealed to be a ship, a wide, curve-topped cone shaped ship which was black with two cyan triangles on the top, both pointing in opposite directions.

A part of the ship opened up as like a door/ramp. "Ok...how did we not notice that before?!" Ice asked in shock. "I honestly don't know..." Pearl said sheepishly. "Peri...di-did you actually have a plan, or was this the plan?" Lapis asked frantically. "It'll only take a min-" But before Peridot could finish her answer, she was cut off when Japser grabbed her by the head. "Uh...Steven...anytime now..." Connie said nervously. "I just need one more minute." Steven said sheepishly.

Topaz then jumped up onto the ramp along with Jasper with Peridot clutched in her hand, the rubies, Drusy Quartz, Hessonite and Squaridot. "You clods! You underestimate the great and lovable Peridot!" The little green gem growled as she struggled against Jasper's grip to her head. "Oh shut up you useless off colour." Noir spoke, floating with the help of Bloodstone before calling upon her own ship, which was camouflaged in the sky before it revealed itself to be a huge black skull ship where she entered the mouth of it.

"Very nice meeting you all, and your compliance is appreciated, but..." Aquamarine started as she went up to the Crystal Gems. Pearl then tried attacking the little brat along with Jewel, but Aquamarine dodged it. "Our job here is done, so..." She then added before finishing by blowing a raspberry at the gems and flying towards her ship.

Goldsmuth was about to enter Aquamarine's ship, but because of her being oblivious, she didn't look where she was going and hit her head off the archway of the ship. "Ow! I'm ok, I'm alright." She said before the ship door closed.

* * *

Inside Aquamarine's ship

Steven still struggled to activate his bubble, everyone was almost freaking out. "Man...this is harder than I thought." Steven said in annoyance. "We've been through bad before, right?" Connie stated with a smile. "This is worse." Steven replied with a gasp for breath. "Well...that went well." Eyeball said with approval before walking away. "Yes...now let's get back to Homeworld already." Aquamarine said before flying away. "But I'm already on my home world. I haven't even delivered all the mail today." Jamie exclaimed in horror. "Don't worry. I can do this!" Steven said as he tried harder.

"I'll help too bro. Because I can't stand being trapped in a big banana split for much longer." Zach said as Topaz moved slowly to the centre of the ship along with the other gems who went in front of her. "Steven...I really don't want to be taken away from my dad forever." Nora yelped in fear as everyone else panicked over this and Lars was hitting his own cousin out of fear.

"Lars stop, Zach and I need to concentrate. Oh, come on, how am I going to..." Suddenly before Steven could finish, the blue gemstone accidentally constructed a purple creature which hissed at Steven, nearly making him afraid for lis life. "Bro, I'm sorry, that was me..." He started as he dismissed the construct...before he then realised how he could help Steven get the others out of Topaz.

"Remind me again how Squaridot got free from her bubble?" Connie asked in annoyance. "Navy stole her back, along with the roaming eye when we first showed her around the barn." Peridot explained in annoyance, remembering what happened that day. "Oh...right." Connie groaned in annoyance.

"Ugh. If I never get sent on another mission to Earth, it'll be too soon. What an ordeal. But the Diamonds needed me. That's the burden of being the best." Aquamarine said after sitting on her seat. "Yes...we can both agree on that Aquamarine." Hessonite chuckled evilly in agreement. "Especially with our eyes on the prize, our Diamonds will reward us handsomely and may even give us a new best gem." Squaridot suggested in excitement.

"Hey, come on. I thought I was your best gem?" Goldsmuth called up to her superior in confusion. "Will you stop that Goldsmuth?! You're ruining our moment!" Aquamarine called down to Goldsmuth, scolding her in the process. All the while whilst, The rubies, Jasper, Drusy Quartz and Black Nephrite were distracted, Zach had secretly told eveyone his plan and they prepared for it happening.

"Aaand, showtime!" Zach said as he activated the blue gemstone and switching it to the heart symbol in order to make create another purple creature. This one fuelled by Topaz's possible worst fear which made her so afraid, she separated in fear, thus releasing all the people. "Woah...Nice one Zach. How did you do that?" Lars asked with amazment. "Honestly...I don't know." Zach admitted sheepishly as Ronaldo woke up. "Ugh...what did I miss?" He asked in confusion, causing Peedee to groan.

"Aquamarine they're escaping!" Doc called out after seeing what had happened. "Uh oh!" Goldsmuth yelped. "Rgh! Get them!" Japser growled as she began to advance towards the people. "What?! Topaz! Get this mess cleaned up. And Topaz, help her out! Squaridot, set a course for homeworld." Aquamarine ordered to her lackeys before saying one to Squaridot.

Steven and Zach looked towards the door before looking at each other. "You guys, the door!" Steven said before helping Nora to her feet along with Kiki. "I'll help my cousin out, you get the others out of her!" He said before was confronted by Topaz's left counterpart as she summoned a huge stick with a hard crystal on the end.

She attempted to hit Steven with it, but thankfully he summoned his shield and someone else helped him. That someone, was Peridot who had escaped Jasper's grasp before arming herself with a gem destabiliser and her boomerang. "Prepare to feel my unbridled rage you clod!" She said before nodding at Steven and facing the gem head on.

Zach on the other hand ran over to Sadie and Lars to help them up. "Lars! Hey coz, you ok?" He asked in concern seeing that his own cousin harshfully shaken up enough already. "Lars, come on. We gotta get you off this ship." Hearing this, Lars was snapped back to reality before looking at his cousin "Huh? Y-Yeah. Ok let's get going then." He said before being helped to his feet.

Connie and Nora were both protecting Onion and Peedee from Topaz's right counterpart, Eyeball and Drusy Quartz, but the two girls were blown back by Drusy's powerful kick. Connie was about to get hit by Topaz's mace, but thankfully she dodged it. "Steven, let's fuse!" Connie suggested. "We're already in the air. How are we going to get back?" Steven asked himself as countless thoughts went over his head.

Topaz's Left counterpart then swung her mace at such speed that she tried to hit the three kids. "Nice call Steven!" Peridot said in approval. "We'll get down somehow Steven. I know it." Nora added, giving Steven a bit of reassurance. "Steven watch out!" Zach yelped in panic, but it was too late. Topaz's left counterpart had whacked the bubble with a lot of force and sending them flying back.

Aquamarine meanwhile was preparing to exit through the atmosphere, but had troubles because of the imbalance on the ship. "I'd really appreciate you lot wrapping it up down there before we exit the atmosphere." She said in annoyance. "And try to keep still, we're losing a bit of balance!" Squaridot complained.

"Ok...we'd better get off this thing and fast." Kiki said as Peedee and Onion nodded in agreement. "Come on! Lars you gotta keep going!" Sadie said, trying to help Lars continue along with Zach and Ronaldo. "Come on Coz, you can do this. I know I haven't been a good cousin to you in the past, but you're always a good kid, even when you don't seem like it!" Zach said with comforting words.

Suddenly, Topaz's right counterpart appeared in front of them and attempted to hit them with her mace, but thankfully Sadie pushed Lars out of the way along with Ronaldo and Zach. However, Sadie was grabbed by the Topaz. "Lars! Come on! Help me! Lars!" Sadie pleaded, and all the while, Lars was hesitating, even when he stood up.

He thought about running, but then...he remembered what his cousin told him, and his expression changed when he met Topaz's face. "Get off my girl you big brute!" Lars said, pouncing on Topaz' and endlessly hitting her until she released Sadie. In the end, Lars knocked Topaz to the ground before whooping triumphantly.

"Lars..." Sadie said in shock before Lars turned towards her. "Are you ok?" He asked, holding his hand out towards Sadie who immediately took it and hugged him. "Yeah...thank you so much." She said sweetly. "Hey! Save the mushy love till later! We gotta get outta here." Zach said, separating the duo before guiding them towards the door as Zach took on the other homeworld gems along with Steven, Nora and Connie. "I didn't know you had that in you Lars!" Ronaldo said in amazement. "Me neither, this changes everything." Lars said in pride.

"Peridot! Get everyone off the ship, I'll follow you shortly!" Steven said to Peridot who nodded before trying to open the door to the ship. "Rgh! This ends now Rosie!" Drusy said as she approached Steven and Nora with her two knuckle dusters sharpened and ready to punch. "That I couldn't have put better myself." Jasper said with approval. "Topaz, pull it together and finish this!" Aquamarine demanded in annoyance.

The two Topazes then looked at each other and reunited just as Kiki helped Jamie to his feet and guided him to the door. The four kids then looked ahead just in time to see Topaz refusing into her fusion state. Her two pugil maces then combined into a pugil mace.

"Zach, here." Nora said, taking out a handful of dirt, putting a string and the blue gemstone on it before combining it to make a necklace of the gemstone for Zach to have around his neck. "T-Thanks Nora...really." Zach said sheepishly before activating the gemstone to use a form of telekinetic powers. "You're welcome. Now...wanna get these guys?" Nora asked before Zach nodded in agreement.

The four kids then attacked Topaz, Steven went first but was blown back, Connie managed to block Topaz's pugil mace with Rose's sword but felt like she couldn't hold it for very long. "Guys...I'm sorry!" Steven said aloud. "Steven...what are you on about?" Kiki asked in confusion.

"It's my fault you guys were abducted...why you were taken. If it weren't for me, the diamonds wouldn't have come for you. If it weren't for my mom, they wouldn't even be trying to destroy the Earth!" Steven admitted on the verge of tears. "Steven! It's not true." Nora said with reassurance as she constructed a shield to help her brother. "I'm sorry Nora. I didn't want to say that to you because I was afraid you wouldn't love mom anymore. It's true..." Steven admitted. "No I'm being serious seriously. Mom's..." Nora started, but was cut off when Jasper grabbed her.

"Bro...what she means to say is: none of this was on you. You didn't know this would have happened." Zach said as he helped Steven up. "Y-Yeah...s-sorry. Right. If I'm gonna focus, I may need a bit of a game-changer." The young boy then said before grabbing Zach and fusing with him.

"Woah...Level up!" The human fusion said in amazement before looking towards his opponents. "That's not what I had in mind when I said let's fuse, but yeah...that's a good idea too." Connie admitted with a smile. "Ugh, fusion. Why am I not surprised?" Jasper groaned in annoyance.

"Well two can play at that game! RUBIES COMBINE!" Doc yelled as she fused with Navy, Eyeball and Army, but Leggy however, decided to Join Steven's team after a sudden change of heart. "Wow...you're so amazing. Who are you?" The Ruby asked in amazement. "Z-ven's my name, gaming's my game." The fusion said, introducing himself before getting into a fighting position. "Cool, I'll help too!" Leggy said, summoning a boot-like weapon.

"Traitor!" The ruby fusion growled before attacking. "Keep on her, I'll get those humans." Jasper said before advancing towards the humans. "Stay back Peridot. I will save us!" Ronaldo said, immediately shoving Peridot aside before taking out his sword that he got from Delmarva Con.

Hessonite immediately sliced the weapon, frightening Ronaldo in the process. "Ronaldo...if we ever survive I really need to have a word with you." Lars groaned in annoyance.

All the while, Z-ven and his group fought the ruby fusion with everything they had. "Dodge, duck, back, uppercut!" Z-ven said as he did just that, almost like he was in a videogame in real life. He was able to hit the fusion with everything he had. "Hey Z-ven, can you give me a boost?" Connie asked before Z-ven picked launched her at the ruby fusion along with Nora and Leggy where they Leggy then kicked the Ruby fusion in the face.

In the process, this caused the huge red fusion to fall on top of Black Nephrite, Hessonite, Squaridot, Topaz, Jasper and Drusy Quartz in the process. "Ugh, get off us you stupid fusion!" Jasper ordered, but the fusion couldn't for a moment. "Aw yeah! Level complete!" Z-ven said with pride before unfusing into Steven and Zach. "Wow...I had no idea you did _that._ " The 15 year old said in amazement.

"I do that with Connie sometimes." Steven said as the gang regrouped. "What about with Nora?" Zach then asked. "Not really." Steven admitted. "Guys, we gotta go." Connie said in annoyance before they ran over to the door. "I can't get the door open! How are we going to get down?!" Peridot said, feeling a bit of panic rising.

Suddenly, a loud clank was heard throughout the whole ship, not only that but it also caused the homeworld gems, apart from Aquamarine to get jerked forwards. "Ugh! What the heck was that?!" Jasper asked in anger.

"The door. I'll get it." Steven said as he ran towards the panel to open the door. "Right, and hurry." Connie said as she, Nora, Zach and Leggy ran towards the door. When Steven managed to open the door, the people saw a huge familiar face who kept Aquamarine's ship from flying off. "Alexandrite!" Connie said in relief before Steven turned to see a second gigantic fusion. "And Rainbow Nephrite too!" The young boy said in amazement. "Took you clods long enough!" Peridot yelled in annoyance.

"Alright Alexandrite, bring the ship lower. Jumping is their only option." Purity said before the fusion, along with Rainbow Nephrite, brought the ship lower to a good height. "Alright, good to go." Zach called up to the huge fusion.

"Ugh so much chaos. I wish I could get off this ship." Ronaldo admitted sheepishly. "Wish granted!" Lars said before kicking Ronaldo off the ramp as he screamed and fell and into the ocean. "Aw come on! My phone's wet! How am I supposed to call Jane now?!" Ronaldo pouted in annoyance as he held up his phone.

Onion was next to jump off as he did a perfect dive. Peedee went afterwards as he jumped off in fear. "Alright Sadie, it's you and me next. Hang on tight." Lars said as Sadie nodded before they prepared to jump off. "Jamie, come on, you gotta jump." Zach said to Jamie. "Oh...I seem to be paralysed with fear." Jamie said in fear before Kiki grabbed his hand and jumped off the edge of the ramp with him along with Sadie and Lars.

However, the people along with Alexandrite and the other Crystal gems, were suddenly paralysed by Aquamarine's wand. Shocked by this, Steven, Connie, Nora, Zach, Peridot and Leggy turned around to see their homeworld enemies looking directly at them with Aquamarine. Even Black Diamond had heard about the trouble and came back to sort it out. "Of course...why am I not surprised?" Noir asked in annoyance.

"Nice try, and a pretty good one too. But it's hopeless, My Dad. I can't go back to Homeworld without getting what the Diamonds want." Aquamarine said smugly as she floated towards Steven and his friends. "No you can, you just _won't_." Peridot growled in anger. "My point being Peridot." Aquamarine said before laughing a little.

Steven then caught a glimpse of Bismuth, Purity and Lapis climbing up onto the back of Aquamarine's ship with the help of Rainbow Nephrite. Even Zach saw them climbing up in secret and was worried about them being seen. "We gotta distract them to help the others ambush them." Zach suggested quietly.

"How do we do that? All they want is the people on their list, so...oh I see." Steven whispered back until he see what Zach thought at this moment. "So think...what would really gain the attention of these guys?" Peridot asked, wondering if Steven had an idea. In a few minutes short, he thought up of an idea, but it was pretty stupid. Connie and Nora were also confused on what the two boys and Peridot were thinking.

"I'm...not my dad." Steven said, speaking up, using his idea. "Uh...I'm sorry. What?" Aquamarine asked in confusion and annoyance. "He said he's not my dad. Get the picture you clod?" Peridot then added smugly. "Rgh! How much longer is this stupid mission going to take?!" Aquamarine growled in frustration.

"Well...I could end it for you right now if you want." Steven offered. "Yeah...I can too." Peridot added with a smirk. "Oh really?" Aquamarine asked sarcastically. "Yeah...I'm someone the Diamonds want, more than any of these humans. The leader of the Crystal Gem Rebellion, the Gem who shattered Pink Diamond. I'm not my dad, I'm Rose Quartz!" Steven said, revealing his gem to the other gems. "Yeah! You clods were too stupid to know! I am a Crystal Gem too!" Peridot added with pride.

Hearing this from Steven, Aquamarine lowered her guard and released Sadie, Lars and the other people before Alexandrite separated back into Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. "No way." Aquamarine gasped in shock. "Ugh...took you idiots long enough." Jasper groaned in annoyance.

"Steven, what are you doing?!" Connie whispered in fright. "Trust me...I know what I'm doing." Steven whispered before giving a wink to Connie. "Yes, it is I, Rose Quartz, the merciless." Steven said to the homeworld gems, secretly giving Bismuth and her allies a signal to come forward. "Nice one kiddo. Come on." Bismuth whispered as she helped Purity and Lapis onto the top of the ship.

"I'll go with...you guys. But...only if you..promise to let...those humans...go?" Steven said strangely, making a head movement directed at Bismuth, telling her to come forwards slowly. "Why would I do such a thing? The diamonds want the humans, and I have to deliver them, along with you, pronto." Aquamarine asked smugly, oblivious to Bismuth, Purity and Lapis climbing over the ship quietly.

"Because...a lot of humans...won't be happy." Steven said before he turned to the others and winked at them. "Ha. Clever Steven." Garnet said with a smile. "What is going on up there Garnet?" Pearl asked frantically. "Patience Pearl, you'll see." Garnet said with reassurance.

"I hope he didn't really plan for this." Imperia stated in fright. "Connie. You must...go. I need to keep you safe." Steven said, trying to keep the homeworld gems, who were immediately bored by this acting, distracted. "Steven...you're scaring me." Connie said, feeling scared for her friend. " _ **Uh...what exactly is this?**_ " Bloodstone asked in confusion. "No idea." Hessonite whispered in annoyance.

"Don't forget about me. I'll always treasure or memories with you Connie. I lo..." But having nearly finished his sentence to Connie, Steven was suddenly cut off by Drusy Quartz. "Ok, that's enough." She interrupted bluntly before inspecting Steven. "You say you are Rose Quartz, right?" Drusy then asked in suspicion. "Y-Yes...why?" Steven asked in confusion. "Hmph. You don't look anything like her. I _know_ her. And I already know your insidious lies. Shattering Pink Diamond to save the planet, don't you know why every other Crystal Gem is gone?!" Drusy growled threateningly, scaring the kids in the process.

"You have something to say Drusy?" Jasper asked in annoyance. "Not to you I don't." The star quartz said bitterly. "I knew she was Rose Quartz, but you didn't listen to me! Eyeball growled in frustration. "Well whatever the case, she's ours for the taking." Noir said as she smiled viciously. "No...we may as well leave her. She may cause terrible things." Drusy suddenly insisted.

"Come on! She's right in our sights." Eyeball said, fuelled with rage. "She's right you know. I mean, why else would this dullard reveal herself as Rose Quartz?" Aquamarine asked Rhetorically. At that moment, the gems on Aquamarine's ship then heard someone whistling. Everyone of the homeworld gems then turned to see Bismuth, Rainbow Nephrite, Purity and Lapis waiting for them on the top of the ship. "Oh, you were both distracting us weren't you?" She asked after realisation. "Yep...pretty much." Steven said with a smirk.

The three gems then ambushed the others and pushed them back into the ship for a brief moment, long enough for the kids, along with Leggy and Peridot to get away. "Go! We'll hold them off!" Bismuth said before headbutting Topaz. "Steven...you gave me a fright." Connie said in relief. "Sorry. I had to make it look real." Steven explained with reassurance. Steven then went to the edge of the ship before he called down to his friends. "I'm sorry, I was only doing that because..." Steven started apologising with a few tears, but was cut off by Garnet. "I know Steven, I understand why...but please, get down!" She called up as Steven nodded in agreement.

"Nora come on, we gotta jump down!" Steven said, trying to get Nora off the ship, only to be stopped when she didn't move. "I...I can't." She managed to say. "Nora, going with them is a bad idea. I can't lose my sister." Steven said, assuming Nora was planning something stupid. "I know. I wasn't going to anyway. It's just...I can't swim." Hearing this, Steven was shocked. "You've gotta be joking me." Steven said in shock before looking at Connie. "Can she really not swim?" He asked, causing Connie to shake her head. "Hehehe, of course she can't." Steven said with a nervous laugh before hearing the other gems struggling to fight on the top of the ship.

"Connie, get her down. I'm going back to help the others." Steven said before turning towards his allies to help them out along with Zach who wanted to help out anyway. "Steven, I can't go without you." Connie said, immediately grabbing her friend's hand with fear. "Connie...I promise. I'm not going to give myself in." Steven said in reassurance before Connie nodded with a smile. "Stay safe." She said before Steven and Zach ran to help Bismuth.

"What's happening?" Pearl asked frantically. "Nora can't swim!" Connie called down with a serious tone. "Oh my...that's one of the reasons _why_ she's useless." Pearl groaned to herself. "Pearl! Not the right time!" Garnet scolded in annoyance. "Nora you have to jump! I promise...I'll catch you." Pearl then said honestly, turning towards the little girl and shapeshifting, for the first time, her hands to make them bigger. "No, jump into our hands!" Amethyst yelled as she too shapeshifted her hands to make them bigger.

On the top of the ship, Bismuth took on Jasper and Topaz gems right before Steven and Zach came to help. Thanks to them, they were down in no time. "Ha! Nice one Rose!" Bismuth said before realising she had called Steven the name of his mother accidentally. "Yeah...I know how you feel Bismuth." Steven said sadly before nearly being pounded by Bloodstone. Lapis meanwhile, used her hydrokinesis to attack Aquamarine and managed to short-circut her wand in the process. "Ha! Let's see how powerful you are against me now!" The lazuli spoke with pride before charging at the little blue brat.

Noir then caught Lapis by the leg before slamming her on the ship and looking at her. "I sense your deepest fears...and they are...delicious." She hissed evilly, forcing Lapis to look into her own eyes before the whites of her eyes turned black and the pupils turned a bright orange. Seeing the eyes, Lapis was somehow given a horrifying trance of what she assumed to be the future where Earth was destroyed and she was left all alone with nobody to turn to before she was suddenly entrapped by the Diamonds. Lapis shrieked in terror, unable to get the pictures out of her head.

"Noir, release her at once!" Purity ordered, charging up enough cosmic energy before she blasted Noir with it. Black Diamond fell off the ship, but thanks to her powers, she managed to get back onto her own. "Woah...nice one Purity." Steven said in amazement. "Thank you Steven. I don't often u-" Purity started, but was cut off when her gem cracked upon her forehead, causing her to fall back into the ocean. "PURITY!" Bismuth screamed in fright as she helplessly watched her oldest friend fall into the ocean. "I'll save her!" Lapis said, immediately diving into the ocean to search for the small diamond.

"So that's why she said that's not how her omni-powers work. It cracks her gem up." Steven said in realisation before Black Diamond appeared again. "Heh. She was so foolish to waste her powers on me." Noir spoke evilly with a chuckle, driving Bismuth to shattering her. "I'm sorry Purity." Bismuth said in regret as she squeezed her eyes shut before aiming the breaking point at Noir's gemstone, feeling like she was breaking a really important promise to Steven.

However...Noir had grabbed the weapon with a firm grip before causing Bismuth to look up and see her evil grin. "You seriously thought you could break me with _this_? I'm stronger than you'll ever believe." Black Diamond said before her hand glowed an inverted aura. She then used this to crush the Breaking Point and causing it to disintegrate into millions of pieces. "Next time, you may need something stronger than a puny little weapon." Noir said with a smirk before instantly lunging her sword into Bismuth, horrifying Garnet and Pearl and even the kids for that matter. "Steven! Get out of there!" Peridot squeaked in terror as she and Leggy pointed out the gems advancing towards Steven and Zach.

"Do we run now?" Steven asked Zach nervously. Zach was hesitant at first, but eventually he gave in. "Yes." He said before the two boys turned and jumped off the top of the ship to where the girls were. Thankfully, Steven had managed to grab Bismuth's gemstone "Ok, on the count of three, we're going to jump, ok?" Connie said to Nora, who was absolutely breaking down into tears at this point. "Ok." She managed to say before looking down towards Amethyst's giant hands. "Right, One..." Connie started, but was cut off when she felt a shove from behind along with Nora. "Three!" Steven and Zach yelled as they both jumped down, still clutching Bismuth's gems. The kids then began to scream all the way.

"Cannonball!" Leggy said as she and Peridot then jumped off the ship. "What were you thinking Zach?!" Connie suddenly yelled at Zach, hitting his arm in the process. "Ow! What did I do?!" Zach asked in confusion and annoyance. "You got Steven to distract those gems and confuse everyone! Did you even think how I felt?!" Connie asked in anger. "I wasn't trying to upset you though. I just suggested it." Zach explained, but it didn't make the situation any better.

"Don't give me that! And you, I thought you knew better!" Connie yelled before directing her attention towards Steven. "Ok fine! I nearly gave up because they're out to get me! I thought that if I did give up then maybe they would've left Earth alone! What else was I supposed to do if the distraction failed?!" Steven asked angrily, both he and Connie were oblivious to Nora crying about her friend and her brother fight over something that didn't matter. "Rgh! You don't get it do you?!" Connie growled. "Get what?! Well, if you hadn't have got caught in the first place, then this wouldn't be happening now!" Steven said, not realising what he was saying. "Would you clods stop fighting! What's done is done alright!" Peridot stated in annoyance.

"Well what I want to know is...why we haven't hit the water yet..." Zach said, immediately realising that they hadn't hit the water, a fact that Nora had found out when she felt like they were falling for a long time. Connie and Steven then looked down to see some kind of portal loop, making them fall endlessly before being caught by Aquamarine's spare wand once more. "Heh, you're not going anywhere Rosie?" Black Diamond asked before allowing Bloodstone and Drusy Quartz to capture them.

"Oh nonononono! Let them go! Connie and Nora don't have anything to do with this!" Steven yelled, trying desperately to get the two girls off the ship. "True...but I remember this Human, and she belongs in the zoo along with everyone else Rose." Drusy stated in annoyance before leaning into Steven's face. "Why go through all that trouble to take her out of the zoo again?" She asked in fascination. "That's none of your business you clods!" Peridot growled as she attempted to poof Drusy Quartz, but ended up being poofed by Noir's sword.

"PERIDOT!" Steven screamed in fright while Connie gasped in horror. "A traitor gets what a traitor deserves. Goldsmuth, take care of that peridot." "That's cruel...even for you." Nora cried. "I have no regrets. Even for a little child like you." Noir spoke, a black heart being revealed within her. "Let my friends go you wicked old diamond!" Rainbow Nephrite growled in anger before trying to attack Black Diamond with her weapons, but nothing worked when they were blocked.

"Fool...you should have learned...I'm your worst nightmare." Noir said to Rainbow Nephrite, immediately glowing an inverted aura once more before snapping her fingers and fired an inverted aura laser at the fusion and engulfing her in a bright light and reverting her back to her corrupted state. "Nephrite! Hang on, I'll heal you!" Steven said, pulling out the Healing Orcarina and trying to play it in order to fix his friend, but was cut off harshly when Noir's sword broke the magical relic that Purity had created. Not only that, but the corrupted Rainbow Nephrite was also poofed too.

"No...you can't do..." Steven started, but was cut off by Jasper who headbutted him to knock him out. "Can I trust you won't have anymore problems now?" Noir asked with expectancy. "No. We'll keep an eye on them this time." Aquamarine said with a bow. "I'll stay with them just in case my diamond." Bloodstone spoke as she bowed to her diamond before walking into the ship, carrying Connie and Nora with her as they struggled to get out. "Wait! I can take you all on myself!" Zach insisted, but was cut off by Hessonite who kicked him onto the edge of the ship. "No. Our fight is not with you, stupid boy." Drusy Quartz said bitterly, giving some form of discouragement towards Zach.

After jumping onto the mouth of her skull ship, Black Diamond looked back to her enemies. "Well Crystal Gems...I'd say it's been a pleasure...but it hasn't." She mocked without a care in the world. "I'm gonna kick your butt if I ever get up there!" Amethyst growled in anger as Pearl clutched her mouth with tears flooding out. "Don't you mean, if you'll _never_ get up here?" Noir corrected.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS BLACK DIAMOND!" Garnet yelled up to the evil diamond who merely chuckled evilly after jumping back onto the mouth of her ship. "Oh you poor deluded off color...I already have." Noir responded before laughing as the mouth on her skull ship closed before turning towards space and blasting off with Aquamarine's ship.

Zach was still hanging onto the edge, thinking about what to do until he found out that his friends needed him. "Zach, jump down! Save yourself!" Lars called up to him in panic. "I have to help them! They need me!" Zach said, trying to climb back onto Aquamarine's ship. "Zach! You aren't serious are you?!" Lars called up to his cousin who looked down with regret. Zach then went into the ship secretly just as the door started to close. "Ugh, I'm gonna regret this." He mumbled to himself before the door closed. "He's serious!" Sadie squeaked in horror, causing Lars to gasp too. "NO...DON'T DO IT! PLEASE! ZACH!" Lars yelled, but it was too late, the ships had already warped away in the blink of an eye.

 **To Be Continued...**

 **In the next chapter I mean**

* * *

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **Yeah...**

 **I guess you know what's happened...**

 **My heart was racing even when I watched the season 4 finale too.**

 **Nobody panic anyway. There are more chapters to come for this series.**

 **For now though, Negaboss2000 out**


	17. Stuck Together

**Greetings from Negaboss2000.**

 **Hey guys, I told you I'd be back with more stories**

 **So now, we're onto the first four homeworld stories.**

* * *

 **Stuck Together**

In Aquamarine's ship

Miles above Earth's atmosphere

Steven awakened, his vision a bit blurry and his hearing a little off. He was able to make out Connie being held by Topaz's left counterpart with some of the homeworld gems harassing her. Topaz's Right counterpart was also nowhere in sight. The young boy was lying on the floor with Leggy, who was tied in energy bands, next to him.

" _The Rose Quartz. Can you believe it? And yes she did trick us and had her allies ambush us too, but we still caught her nonethless!_ " Aquamarine spoke from her seat with amazement. The young boy then saw Drusy Quartz approaching him with a disappointed look before slapping him. "Wake up!" She said as Steven gasped in shock, thankfully the slap wasn't too painful.

"We had to bubble _her_ head, to stop her from leaking on the floor. Believe me, the loud noise she was also making was torture." Drusy said bluntly, pointing to Nora who had a bubble on her head that was filling up an eights of the way because of her tears. "We shouldn't have captured them Aquamarine." The star Quartz then said to Aquamarine before walking off in shame.

"Why not?" Aquamarine asked in confusion, but never got an answer when Drusy went to the lower levels of the ship. The little blue gem then turned her attention to Connie, eager to bring the pain. "You've been a really bad human Connie, and my superiors aren't happy." The little blue gem spoke with a sinister look.

"Oh no, I'm really scared." Connie responded sarcastically, a hint of annoyance rising up within her. "Not yet, but you will be once my Diamond uses her powers on you again." Black Nephrite said in annoyance just as Army summoned a gauntlet like Ruby's but different. "So tell us...how did you come by this sword?" Hessonite asked, holding up Rose's sword and expecting an answer from Connie.

"Simple: I stole from the _villainous_ Rose Quartz when I planned to kill hi...her." Connie said as a lie. Upon hearing this, Nora freaked out, thinking that she was ratting her brother out to those mean gems. "Come on, don't be stupid, I _earned_ it." Connie said with a bit of a laugh. " ** _Wrong answer. I'm gonna crush you into a pile of shards, SPEAK!_** " Bloodstone ordered in anger.

"Ok, ok. You're a pack of losers who think about fame. What do you even want me to say huh?" Connie asked, daring to go off the topic before she was hit in the leg by Army's gauntlet. Steven tried to free Connie, but it only resulted in him getting hit by Topaz before she picked him up. "You foolish girl! Do you think you're so special?!" Hessonite said, pointing her sword at Connie before she briefly looked at Steven in disappointment. "No! I'm trapped in the clutches of this huge gem while you're threatening me with that stupid sword, so no I'm not special." Connie spat back in anger.

"Ugh, I'm not actually Rose Quartz. I was saying that to distract you idiots." Steven groaned in annoyance, finally managing to speak up. "You said so yourself Rosie." Eyeball pointed out with pride. "What do you think? _I'm the Galactic Criminal Rose Quartz? Oh, I suppose you think I love shattering Diamonds too and that I love shattering 'em all the time, right?_ " Steven said sarcastically in anger as he struggled against Topaz' grip. "You think shattering's bad? Wait till the Diamonds get their hands on you." Aquamarine said with excitement of getting a reward. "What _would_ they do?" Goldsmuth asked in confusion, causing her allies to groan in annoyance.

"Well...at least everyone else is safe and sound." Steven said to Nora who smiled a little. " _Yeah...last I saw, they were off the ship._ " Leggy pointed out with a whisper, making Nora Relieved. At that moment however, Topaz' right counterpart came up the stairs, carrying someone the three kids knew all to well. "I told you, I can do this all day." Zach yelled, managing to kick Navy in the stomach and sending her flying backwards. "Zach?!" Steven, Connie and Nora yelped in shock. "Ugh, that human again? Doesn't he know when to give up?" Aquamarine said in absolute annoyance as the huge Topaz brought Zach over.

Topaz' right counterpart then grabbed Nora before popping her bubble and releasing all the tears that was building up inside. "Rgh! If I ever get home, Aquamarine, I'm going to get you back for all this!" Steven threatened, anger building up within him. "Oh no. Is Rosie upset 'cause her widdle _plan_ didn't work out? I'm so moved, I'm crying." Aquamarine mocked, pretending her gem was a tear before laughing.

Zach then managed to kick Aquamarine right in the gem and doing a bit of damage to her. "Ow! He cracked my gem! Rgh! Topaz, do you think we should let Rosie and her friends go after she did this to me?!" Aquamarine growled in anger, but never got a response from Topaz.

"I agree. Now go on do you're thing. And hold that treacherous Ruby too while you're at it." Aquamarine said before flying upwards. Topaz then began to fuse into her huge self. "Ugh, perfect." Zach muttered in annoyance as the huge fusion once again trapped the kids.

"We'll go let the Diamonds know about our prisoners." Aquamarine said as she cleaned herself before summoned a couple of platforms for her allies to stand upon when they spoke to their diamonds. "And maybe we'll get a handsome reward." Eyeball said in awe. " _ **Calm yourselves, it's only a talk with them.**_ " Bloodstone pointed out before they were all lifted up to where Aquamarine went.

"So, how do I look Rosie?" Aquamarine asked Steven. "You're a wicked old witch!" Nora yelped back in anger. "Is _that_ how you managed to flatter so many Gems into joining your rebellion? How cute." Aquamarine mocked with a laugh. "We aquamarines are absolutely graceful and keen." She then added in pride.

"I'd say a Lapis Lazuli is better and more prettier than you." Steven said with a smirk. At first Aquamarine laughed, but then stopped in realisation that she was compared to a Lapis. "Rgh, Topaz, I trust you'll still be able to fly our ship despite your...additions?" Aquamarine said to Topaz in annoyance. Aquamarine's ship then went into warp along with Black Diamond's skull ship.

"Rgh, this is all your fault Steven!" Connie finally said in anger, immediately blaming the person she knew without realising it, making Nora gasp in shock. "I know Connie, It's why it was the only thing I-" Steven started, but was immediately cut off by his friend. "No, I know you couldn't have known... I mean, you nearly gave up!" Connie pointed out in a fit or rage. "Actually...that was my idea...only for a distraction of course." Zach started, speaking strangely because of the fact that Topaz was sitting on him, but cut off when he heard Connie growl.

"Anyways...I'm aware of what I did. Like Zach said, it was only for a distraction. Besides, they wanted to take our friends away, probably forever. Besides, they were more interested in Rose Quartz, so I thought in the worse case scenario I could hand myself in so she'd abandon her mission." Steven pointed out, making Zach turn his head towards his direction in confusion. "But you don't even know that yourself!" Connie yelled harshly, frightening Nora and even shocking Steven too.

"I mean...what about our training? Stevonnie. Jam buds. I believed in us! We could have done it together!" Connie pointed out calmly despite the same level of anger. "Against Aquamarine's wand?" Steven challenged, starting to get a bit angry himself. "I..." Connie started, but faltered when she heard those words. "Well...at least I wasn't the one who was _barely fighting against those gems_." She then pointed out. "At least I fought that giant fusion when me and Zach formed Z-ven." Steven pointed out. "That was different!" Connie snapped back at him.

"Aquamarine could have taken everyone, the gems, our friends, did you even think for a second that she could have done that?" Connie asked rhetorically. "At least she didn't though, right?" Zach pointed out. "Zach, shut up!" Connie yelled, causing Zach to get a fright. "Well...if you say it like that...then I'm glad you're not in my shoes." Steven said sadly with a sigh.

"What?" Connie asked in annoyance. "You don't know what it's like, to hear someone you look up to, do all these great things, and then all of a sudden you hear they did something terrible to make you wonder who you are. Do you even know what I've been going through since I found out about that?" Steven said, his voice sounding stressful and even taking Connie by surprise.

"I didn't, Steven, I wasn't..." The young girl started, but had no words to say and was even worried that if she said something else...she'd regret it. After that heated argument, Steven and Connie turned away from each other sadly, not feeling like talking to each other for the moment in case they said something hurtful that they couldn't take back. They stayed like that for a long time before Nora decided to break the silence.

"S-Steven..." Nora started, causing her brother to look towards her. "It's alright Nora. I'd just one of those moments when we just argue. It's nothing too bad or anything." Steven said sheepishly. "W-Were you really going to leave everyone?" Nora then asked, making Steven pretty nervous. "No, of course not. But even if I did, It'd be to keep you safe. Dad wanted me to take care of you, and that's what I intend on doing." Steven said sincerely, but unfortunately for him, it didn't quite work.

"B-But how can you keep me safe if you're not around?" Nora asked tearfully. Steven couldn't think of any words to say, but thankfully, someone found the right words. "He wasn't thinking straight. Wanting to keep everyone safe had really gotten to his head, right Steven?" Connie said, turning towards Steven and even winking at him. "Y-Yeah. All this stress got to my head. I wasn't trying to actually give myself in." Steven said, saying just the right thing to calm Nora down. Leggy was absolutely tearing up because of this. "Well that's so sweet. At least you're not the ones being used as a pillow for a big banana. Uh, no offence Topaz." Zach said sarcastically before speaking to Topaz who didn't move.

"Don't worry Zach. I'm gonna get us out of here. And I think I know just how." Steven said before turning towards Topaz. "Hey! Look! You have Rose Quartz! Why bother with these humans and Ruby? They're Worthless." Steven tried to say, but Topaz didn't still budge. "Hey come on bro, no need to be so hurtful." Zach said in annoyance. "Oh no, I mean't _worth less_. As in, worth less than Rose Quartz...unlike me." Steven said sadly.

"Well look on the plus side, I still have the blue gemstone I took from those guys." Zach pointed out with a smile, but suddenly realising that he said that out loud to Topaz. "Relax Zach, I think Topaz can't hear you because of those earphones." Nora said with a smile. "Those are her gemstones Nora." Steven pointed out with a chuckle.

At that moment, the whole ship began to rumble, possibly due to the Alexandrite, Rainbow Nephrite and the battle upon the top of the ship. This took affect on Aquamarine and the others when they fell off their seats. "Rgh! Those Crystal Gems must have screwed up the engine during takeoff!" Aquamarine realised in anger. "Rgh! That's the first thing I'm gonna pummel them for when I get back to Earth." Jasper growled in annoyance. "Topaz, go fix it!" Hessonite then ordered.

* * *

Topaz then went to the lower levels to fix the ship without argument.

On the way down, Steven saw Peridot's gem, bubbled by Goldsmuth who just left it there without anyone to keep an eye on it. "It's Peridot." Connie gasped in realisation. "We have to get her! Zach, try looking for something that can help us." Steven said immediately to Zach, even Nora and Leggy decided to help.

It was then that Steven noticed something, a blue gem distabilizer, one similar to the ones that Jasper and Peridot used. "A destabilizer. That's perfect!" The young boy said in amazement. "A destaba-what?" Nora asked in confusion. "It's a weapon that disrupts a Gem's physical form. Similar to disrupting a body, but different." Steven explained to his sister. "It kills a gem?!" Nora shrieked in fright. "No, no no no. They survive." Steven said, managing to calm his sister down.

"Oh, I see." Zach said in realisation. "Right, I have a plan, but I'll need you to be my arms." Steven requested. "I'm right behind you all the way...literally as a matter of fact." Zach said in agreement. "I'm gonna need you to pull my pants off." Steven pointed out, figuring that his pants wasn't stuck in Topaz' fusion. "Steven...I honestly don't know if that'd be..." Zach started, not wanting to do it. "Zach, trust me. I know what I'm doing." Steven said with reassurance. "Alright. I'll do it." Zach said, immediately taking off Steven's pants much to his discomfort.

"Alright, now what?" Zach asked, awaiting the next order. "Great. Now tie one of the legs into a lasso." "Oh crud...I dropped them." Zach said sheepishly. "How did you manage that?!" Steven asked in annoyance. "I...they slipped out of my hands." Zach responded nervously. "Are you able to pick them up?" Nora asked with concern. "Y-Yeah...I've got it." The 15 year old then picked up the pants and tied them into a lasso. "Got it." Zach said.

"Alright. Now try and Lasso one of the destabilizers. The blue object." Connie said, pointing out the destabilizers with her foot. "Ok..." Zach said, trying to lasso one of the weapons or even Peridot, but found out that the lasso was too short. "Brilliant." Zach muttered to himself in annoyance. "Come on, one more try." Steven pleaded in a bit of a panic. "I can't, they're too far for me." Zach stated, feeling panic and failure rising up within him. "Zach, please. For me?" Nora then asked nicely. "Didn't I say they were too far? I thought I said that." Zach pointed out stressfully.

"Zach would you just throw the stupid thing?!" Connie asked angrily. "RGH! ALRIGHT!" Zach roared, throwing Steven's trousers at the distablizers in a fit of rage, he knew they were out of reach, but he honestly didn't care at that moment, he even began hitting Topaz's back in anger. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM ZACH?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Steven asked angrily. "WHY DO YOU THINK?! YOU GUYS WERE PUTTING TOO MUCH STRESS ON ME!" Zach yelled back.

"RGH! Zach, you shouldn't have come." Connie called back in annoyance. "Come on, we're all stuck in this gem and we're on the way to another planet? I'm pretty excited for an awesome." Zach responded in annoyance, shocking Connie in the process and gaining the attention of Leggy who gasped in shock.

"She's serious, Zach, you're going to get yourself killed." Steven pointed out crossly. "Well then if it's going to happen, then l'll just accept it." Zach said in annoyance, trying to suddenly push everyone away. "But why did you come?! You knew it was dangerous, and yet you came." Nora asked tearfully. "Because my life is a wreck right now. I got suspended, my siblings don't have time for me, I hurt my cousin and I'm probably about to get disowned by my own family! I did this because...I felt like Nobody even cares about me anymore! I can't do anything right..." Zach said, breaking down into tears before speaking to himself on that last part. "I'm...I'm not like you guys. Being a part of those gems on Earth...I'm just a useless gaming teenager who can't do anything right...even when I heard a lot about you Steven, being the bravest of them all...you never even seem afraid of anything." He sadly admitted, causing Connie and Nora to look at each other in concern.

"Zach...I know how you feel. Even I'm afraid right now." Steven admitted sadly, causing Zach to turn in confusion. "Wh-what?" He asked in confusion. "I thought if I did turn myself in, it'd fix everything, but...I honestly don't want to do this." Steven confessed, revealing about his fear. "Steven..." Connie said after looking over to him. "I know I've been to space before, but not like this." Steven continued sadly, even gaining his sister's attention at that moment. "Steven." Connie said with a concerned tone. "I mean, they're taking me straight to their terrible leaders that want to destroy Earth and destroy me for something I never even did!" Steven continued as tears started flooding out.

"Steven!" Connie said to him with more concern, even speaking a little louder this time. "I was only trying to save you guys and everyone else, but I couldn't even do that, because you guys are here with me, Nephrite's become corrupted again, I lost the healing ocarina to reverse that, Bismuth was defeated and Peridot might be shattered because of..." All of the horrible stuff that happened, Steven assumed it was all his fault.

"STEVEN PLEASE STOP!" Connie yelled as tears filled her eyes, even causing Steven to turn towards her. "What's done is done. It's like Purity said, besides, that wicked Diamond was responsible for what happened." She pointed out sadly. "Sorry...I don't even know how I'm gonna get you guys out of this mess. I don't know anything." Hearing those cries, Zach realised that Steven was about to hit rock bottom. "Hey...we'll figure something out." Connie said with reassurance. "Yeah...I'll try too." Nora added with a cute smile. "No matter what happens, we'll get outta here. Even if my video gaming skills are useless." Zach pointed out with a chuckle.

"You see Steven...even when you think you're alone...there's always someone who cares for you." Connie then said to Steven who smiled tearfully. "If it helps make you better, I think someone's holding my hand." Steven said, knowing it was Connie who was holding his hand, but he just chuckled anyway. "I'm holding it." Connie responded with a smile. "Even though this is really messed up and this is kind of all my fault...I'm glad that I'm here with my own friends, my sister and even Leggy." Steven said before happily sobbing.

As soon as they saw this, the gang and even Leggy began to cry too. "Ah, the tears of joy. It's what makes the bonds of friendship even stronger." Zach said with a smile, a really honest smile. "Don't worry you guys, as soon as..." Steven started, but was immediately cut off when the gang heard someone crying. That someone, was actually Topaz who actually heard the whole conversation."That's so, so beautiful." The huge fusion said, the first sentence that Steven and the gang had ever heard her say. "Even in the clutches of certain doom and a heated argument, you're happy to gave each other." Topaz continued.

"T-Topaz..." Steven said in surprise. "You _can_ talk." Nora said sweetly. "I don't know what Topa would do if she didn't have Az. I've always wanted to tell me how I'm helping me through this, but there's always someone between us, like Aquamarine or the Diamonds! They're always sending me on these miserable missions. I'm always pretending I'm fine with it." Topaz said before wiping her eyes with Steven's trousers. "I have to pretend I'm fine. But you kids...you're so honest and open with each other, and I even like how innocent your little sister is...so..." Topaz started before calming down.

"I wanna help you guys. What do you need first?" Topaz asked, turning towards Steven. "Can you let us go? Mainly because it's getting a little hot in here." Zach requested before Topaz unfused and released the gang. Connie helped Leggy out of her bonds before Steven collected Peridot. "Ok, now what?" Topaz asked after re-fusing. "We need a way off this ship. Also...I need my pants back." Steven said before Topaz willingly handed Steven his trousers for him to put on.

Topaz then pressed a huge circular button which activated the escape pods for Aquamarine's ship. "Alright. You kids can use this escape pod. I'll set the coordinates for Earth." Topaz said as Leggy and Nora climbed in first. "Wait...you're...not coming with us?" Nora asked in confusion, making the huge fusion uncomfortable. "I-I can't. Aquamarine is my superior and I can't leave her." Topaz admitted sadly. "Topaz...she'll kill you when she finds out. I'm not letting you do that. Besides, I'm not planning to turn myself in either." Steven said, placing his hand on Topaz's hand. "Well...when you say it like that-" Topaz began, but was cut off by Aquamarine's voice.

"Topaz, what are you still doing down here, you big boulder? We're almost to Homeworld." Aquamarine asked flew down the stairs, not expecting to see Topaz with the gang released. Topaz gasped before turning towards Aquamarine and stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. "What...are...you...doing?" Aquamarine growled in anger.

"Look, I can explain. Um...the kids had this whole argument which turned into a beautiful heartfelt thing about being there for each other, and you missed it. Honestly, they're just young humans, so I figured...we should let them go." Topaz said, being honest with herself. It didn't work on Aquamarine who immediately got out her spare wand and pointed it at Topaz. "No wait!" Topaz squeaked in terror before dodging Aquamarine's wand which grabbed the escape pod.

Thankfully, Leggy and Nora managed to jump out before Aquamarine caught it. "What's happening?! I thought we were escaping?" Leggy said in confusion. "NO! NOBODY'S ESCAPING! I'LL SATISFY THE DIAMONDS BY ANY MEANS!" Aquamarine screamed before throwing the escape pod at the wall and poofing it. "Aquamarine, come on. Let the kids go, they're innocent." Topaz said, not wanting to have the kids harmed. "Yeah...I mean think about it... You're trying to hurt us, when you're afraid and weak...but please...let it out if you have anything to say that's bothering you." Nora said sweetly with a smile.

Aquamarine however, wasn't taking Nora seriously and even glared at Topaz. "Topaz, you had one job, hold our prisoners for the Diamonds, but if you're not gonna do it, you're of no use to me!" She said before setting her want from stun...to _shatter_.

Topaz whimpered at first, but then looked towards one of the destabilizers along with Zach. The duo then looked at each other before grabbing one destabilizer each and assaulting Aquamarine. "Nice one Zach." Connie said with relief. "I didn't know you two had that in you." Steven added with excitement. " _She's of no use to you?_ I think you'd better choose your next words more carefully you little minx." Zach stated sternly with anger.

"So...you'd revolt against your own superior, huh?" Aquamarine said, trying to sound harsh, but was nervous out of her wits. "And what do you plan to do after this? Go back to the Diamonds? My gem in your hand? With no prisoners? I'm sure they'd be overjoyed with that. You'd be rewarded handsomely, by being seperated and shattered like..." But before Aquamarine could finish, Zach held his blue gemstone against Aquamarine's head. "I wouldn't go there if I were you, Miss Marine." He said with a smirk.

"It's alright Nora, she's not a threat anymore." Topaz said with reassurance as she broke Aquamarine's spare wand. "And now...I think I'll go back to Earth and be whoever I want." The fusion said with an honest smile, winking at Nora in the process. "Rgh! That's the problems with fusions. They'll become sentimental sooner or later. Why didn't I listen to Drusy Quartz?! Curse you Rose Quartz! You and that stupid prophecy!" Aqumarine growled in anger as Zach threw her to the ground. "Wait...what prophecy?" Steven asked in confusion.

"Go ask the Diamonds, they'll tell you everything." Aquamarine threatened with a laugh. "You mean be shattered in order to know? Steven's not that stupid." Connie said, defending her Jam Bud along with Nora. "Besides, you're the one on the wrong. And overall, you're actually a little-" Zach started, leaning on the control panel before accidentally pressing a button.

"Oh crud, I pressed a button." Zach said in shock before dropping Aquamarine and backing away. "Which one was it?" Topaz asked in concern before a red screen appeared, looking very problematic. "Oh no. You hit the self destruct button! Quick, abandon ship!" Topaz yelped in panic, immediately unfusing and grabbing the kids and Leggy before running with Aquamarine following soon after.

* * *

Outside the ship

Topaz ran like the devil herself before the whole ship blew up. Boy was it lucky that the two Topazes made it out, or they would have been toast. "Whoops...sorry." Zach apologised sheepishly. "It's ok Zach. At least we're off that thing. I was really frightened in there." Nora said with a little chuckle. "Right, we gotta get off homeworld. Nora, no matter what happens, I'll get you home." Steven said to his sister with reassurance.

The gang then slowly walked away, hoping to be unnoticed for long enough, until Topaz turned to see something that she didn't expect to see. "Oh no..." Topaz said in fright, causing the kids to gasp in horror. The villainous gems were standing in front of them, looking very angered and messed up thanks to the explosion. "Topaz...you arrogant traitor! You'll be shattered for this! BOTH OF YOU!" Black Nephrite growled in fury.

The gang were busted and Topaz was deemed a traitor. "Move you giant boulder!" Jasper ordered, hurting Topaz in the process and forcing her to move forwards towards a hallway.

"Goldsmuth, deal with this useless Peridot." Hessonite ordered as she grabbed Peridot's gem and handed it to her own Bismuth. "Um...but shouldn't we..." Goldsmuth started, but was harshly cut off when Hessonite turned towards her. "Understood..." Goldsmuth said sadly. "And use this wand on her." Squaridot called over to her ally before throwing some kind of crystal wand to Goldsmuth who caught it and immediately went through a doorway.

The kids were trying not to be separated, but Connie, Nora and Zach were suddenly grabbed by Bloodstone and Drusy Quartz. " ** _Not you three. You're coming with us._** " Bloodstone spoke as "Steven!" The two girls screamed in fright as they tried to reach Steven, and failed. "Connie, Nora! Don't worry, I'll find you!" Steven called back before they disappeared behind behind a door which instantly closed.

Steven, Topaz and Leggy were then guided into another door which also closed instantly when they went inside.

* * *

 **There we have it folks**

 **I promised there'd be more chapters before the end of this story**

 **And it looks like Topaz has joined Steven too ^^**

 **Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter and nobody panic**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	18. The Trial

**Greetings from Negaboss2000**

 **Back with the Trial of Steven...I mean, Rose Quartz.**

 **And boy there are gonna be a couple of things to point out in here**

 **Enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **The Trial**

In an unknown Room

Steven was alone with only Topaz and Leggy to keep him company. "I know my mom did something terrible. And yeah...I messed up a few times, but whatever homewolrd has in store for me and my friends... _I'm ready!_ " Steven said to himself firmly. "So am I!" Topaz added with pride. "Make that three...for whatever it is we're doing." Leggy said awkwardly.

However, nothing happened, and silence had returned once again, making it a bit awkward for the gang. "Uh…I said I'm ready." Steven called out, looking all around the room along with Topaz and Leggy. "It's me, Rose Quartz, well not actually her to be honest!" Steven then said, again only greeted by silence.

"Hello?! Anybody?! Connie?! Nora?! Zach?! Are you guys there?!" Steven called out once more, hoping that his friends and sister were in a room beside them. "If you're there, knock three times, no, twice!" Topaz called out to help Steven.

"Is this the punishment?! Come on! I know it's going to be worse than this! So whatever you're going to do...would you just do it already so I can find my friends?" Steven asked as he sank to the floor sadly.

Topaz then walked over to Steven gently. "I'm sorry Steven, I was usless to fight off against those gems, I should have done more..." The fusion said apologetically. "It's not your fault Topaz, you would have been shattered if you did." Steven sad as he looked up at his new friend who hugged him immediately. "Not to be impatient, but when is something ever going to happen?" Leggy asked in confusion.

At that moment however, a door behind Topaz opened to her right, gaining the gang's attention before they saw a blue gem walked in with holographic screens floating on her fingers and looking pretty nervous. The gem was the size of a human, had a slim figure, indigo blue skin, a long slim nose and a periwinkle-blue, crescent-pointed hairstyle which strangely resembled a surgical hood.

The gem wore a pair of baby-blue pants, flat shoes which had the same colour, a boxy and quite long-sleeved baby-blue jacket with padded shoulders, a darker flue trim across the bottom and a pale blue cravat tie. She also wore a monocle over her right eye which was possibly the source of the multiple screens she had. Her gem was a blue rectangular four facet gem and located on her chest where her tie was.

"This is ridiculous! 4,000 years of loyal service to the court, and this is what I get? Oh, I'm the unluckiest Zircon in the galaxy!" The gem said, revealing her name whilst being oblivious to the others for the first moment.

She then saw the gang and gasped in surprise. "Wait. Are you…Rose Quartz? If so, you two must be her new allies, correct?" Zircon asked, wanting to make sure she was with the right gems who she was supposed to meet with. "Yeah, I'm...Rose Quartz." Steven responded. "I'm Topaz and this is Leggy by the way." Topaz said sheepishly as she introduced herself and Leggy.

"Really? _You're_ Rose Quartz?" Zircon asked in suspicion. "Well...not really, but it's a long story." Steven said, wanting to explain, but was cut off by the Zircon. "Then I don't have time for it! Ugh! We only have this brief moment to prepare your case." She said as she activated another screen to look at. "Uh...Case?" Steven asked in confusion. "You mean we're..." Topaz started, but stopped when the blue Zircon groaned.

"Ugh! Who am I kidding? This is pointless! We've all heard the rumors about the demise of Pink Diamond, but I can't believe these files! Shattered by one of her own soldiers! In front of her entire entourage! And look at you now! That ridiculous disguise is only going to make you look more guilty!" She spoke again, scrolling through one of her screens before turning to look at Steven.

"That's because I'm not guilty!" Steven complained in annoyance, causing the zircon to gasp. "Well don't say that! And don't say that you're guilty either! Especially when you and your troop are out _there_!" She said in a huge panic. "Wait. Out where? What's gonna happen?" Leggy asked in confusion. "I was about to ask that Leggy." Steven pointed out sheepishly.

"What did you _think_ was going to happen, you stupid ruby?! As soon as _that_ door opens, you three are going on trial!" After hearing the blue zircon speak in fear, the door behind them suddenly opened, making them extremely nervous. "Wow...that was quick." Topaz pointed out.

* * *

In another room

Steven, Topaz and Leggy were all in the middle of what seemed to be a triangular platform whilst Zircon pressed a few buttons on her panels. In the process, three pathways consisting of blue, yellow and white appeared. Topaz was frantically looking around the room, hoping that she'd come out alive after the trial.

It was then that a light suddenly emerged from beside the blue Zircon where another Zircon warped in, she was like the blue zircon only she was mainly yellow and seemed quite different from the Zircon wanting to help Steven. "Defending a Rebel? Isn't that…treason?" She asked with a chuckle. "I was assigned to this!" The Blue Zircon spat out in annoyance.

It was then that a light suddenly emerged from beside the blue Zircon where another Zircon warped in, she was like the blue zircon only she was mainly yellow and seemed quite different from the Zircon wanting to help Steven. "Defending a Rebel? Isn't that…treason?" She asked with a chuckle. "I was assigned to this!" The Blue Zircon spat out in annoyance. A couple more Zircons then appeared, one being red with her gemstone on her navel, another was green and had her gem on her back and the final was a white zircon who seemed creepy and seemed to be t-posing and floating with her gem on her head.

"This trial will be tough Z. Are you sure you're up to this?" The red Zircon asked with concern as she placed her hand on the Blue Zircon's shoulder. "Y-Yes. I'm sure I can pull it off." Blue Zircon stated with a nervous smile. "Tch, and that'll be the day when Yellow Diamond poofs me." Green Zircon stated with annoyance. A few lights then emerged from behind, gaining Steven's attention before Holy Blue Agate appeared along with the Quartz soldiers from the human zoo. Upon seeing Steven, the Quartz sisters gasped in horror. "That's 8XM's friend." "How did the catch him?!" "This is a nightmare!" They said to each other in concern. "Ha! Looks like you've gotten into trouble afterall." Holly said with satisfaction.

At that moment, a big light appeared and warped in Hessonite and her allies who looked at Steven, Topaz and Leggy with excitement to see their doom. Five lights then appeared after them and allowed five Pearls to warp in, Yellow, Blue, Red, Black and from what Steven could see, Green Pearl as well. "All rise for the luminous Yellow 'Aureolin' Diamond!" Yellow Pearl said as she posed. "The lustrous Blue 'Palatine' Diamond." Blue Pearl said with a bow. "The gleaming Red 'Scarlet' Diamond!" Red Pearl said, twirling around in the process. "The dazzling Green 'Verde' Diamond." Green Pearl said with a wink. "And the radiant Black 'Noir' Diamond." Black Pearl said evilly.

A huge light then warped in behind the pearls, thus allowing five diamonds to warp in. Two were Yellow and Blue, one was Black Diamond, and the other two were Red Diamond, and presumingly, Green Diamond who had light green skin, light green hair which looked like a flower, wore a light green strapless crop top and a pair of light green leggins, the two parts of clothing both had dark green on them. She was in her bare feet and her gemstone was located on her back and was similar to Yellow's gemstone.

All five diamonds opened their eyes and looked down at the Zircons and a few other members of their own courts. Seeing the Diamonds had encouraged the gems to symbol them with respect while Topaz nervously looked away.

"Greetings one and all. It is..." Green Diamond started, but was cut off when Yellow jabbed her in the stomach, causing her to stop. "Keep quiet Green." Yellow growled in annoyance. "That's enough Yellow." Red said calmly, separating the two diamonds from each other. "Also...where are the accused?" Blue asked as she got off and looked around for the so called criminals.

"Right there, Blue." Noir said, pointing towards Steven, Topaz and Leggy. "Oh...of course. Of course it's the same Topazes...why am I not surprised?" Yellow growled in annoyance. "And that dumbest ruby in the history of rubies too." Hessonite called over before being dismissed by her Diamond.

"Oh but they're nothing compared to what _I_ caught." Black Diamond spoke, pointing towards Steven whilst taking credit as the other four Diamonds looked directly at Steven. "Noir...is _that_ Rose Quartz?" Yellow asked in disgust. "Indeed it is Aureolin." Black added in agreement.

"You know what, forget the trial. We should shatter her just for looking like that. And add in those defects too, they're of no use to me." Yellow said, wanting to immediately dismiss the trial but was stopped by Red. "Ugh, enough of that Yellow." Red spoke firmly. "Please...I want to hear Rose make her case. I want to know what she thinks we're going to do with her and her allies. Because I want to do something _worse_." Blue said omninously, causing Steven to gulp and Topaz to accidently unfuse.

"Um...my Diamond...will there be a trial today?" Holly Blue Agate asked in concern. "Of course there will be. Right Yellow?" Red stated before looking at Yellow with her red eye. "Fine." Yellow said as she flashed her hand, causing five thrones to appear, Yellow, Green, Black, Red and Blue, from left to right. "Let's just get on with it, shall we?" She added before all five Diamonds sat down on their thrones.

Noir got into a more comfortable position to sit on her throne, mainly because she thought she could do whatever she wanted. "Ooh dear...ths may be our toughest trial yet Z." Red Zircon whispered in concern as Blue Zircon wiped her hands on her hands on her pants.

* * *

Soon enough

The pearls had begun to record the case on their holo screens. Blue Pearl was drawing the suspects in the process too. "My Diamond. My brilliant, opulent, radiant, glimmering-" Yellow Zircon started, but was immediately cut off by Yellow Diamond. " _My Diamond_ will suffice, or we'll never get through this." She said bluntly. "But thank you for the complement anyway." Green Diamond added with a smile.

"You're welcome, My Diamonds." Yellow Zircon said before she cleared her throat. "Rose Quartz committed a crime so unprecedented that one can't help but wonder, _Why?_ Exhibit A." The Zircon said, starting off her case before snapping her fingers.

In the process, a light appeared beside Steven and the others before warping in Connie, Nora and Zach. "Connie! Nora!" Steven yelped in surprise. "Steven!" The girls yelped before rushing over to hug the young boy. "Thank goodness you're ok." Connie said with relief. "I was really worried about you since we got separated." Nora admitted, tearing up in the process. "Well...I told you girls I'd find you, right?" Steven said with reassurance. "Zach, how were you holding up?" Steven then asked Zach.

"I'm ok, but...where are we? Is this supposed to be a court room? Woah...who are those chicks? Are they titans?" Zach said, but when he noticed the Diamonds, Green Zircon placed a bubble over his head to keep him quiet.

Green Diamond then used some form of plant manipulation to constrict both Connie and Nora who freaked out when this happened. "As we can all see from these three young specimens, humans are loud, absolutely hideous creatures that serve no purpose whatsoever." Yellow Zircon spoke whilst not even moving, insulting Connie when she mentioned _loud_ and _hideous_. "That's not all true Zircon." Red Diamond stated crossly.

"That being said, what sort of Gem would turn on her own kind and take a few others with her? I'll tell you the kind: _That_ kind." Speaking her case, White and Yellow Zircons pointed towards Steven, causing Nora to squeak in terror. "Let Connie and Nora go, and Zach too! They've got nothing to do with this!" Steven pleaded in desperation. "Yeah, not to mention irrelivant too." Topaz added sheepishly.

"There it is! The passion, the fury, that caused the diabolical Rose Quartz to...shatter her own diamond!" Yellow Zircon continued dramatically before silence befell the room. "Drama Queen." Zach said in boredom after managing to pop the bubble on his head. " _Pink got what she deserved anyway..._ " Noir muttered in annoyance, acting a bit suspicious. "What was that?" Green Diamond asked in surprise. "Nothing..." Black Diamond growled.

"Now I know what everyone is thinking: _This thing doesn't look anything like a Rose Quartz_." Yellow Zircon said as she pulled up a screen of Rose Quartz. "That's because he's not his mom you showoff." Zach said, calling out the gem in annoyance who got a little bit annoyed. "A-Anyways, for this case, I'd like to call upon three eyewitnesses!" Speaking this, three platforms rose up with Eyeball, Jasper and Black Nephrite standing in front of the three gems who growled angrily at them.

"Uh oh..." Topaz squeaked in terror. "Ugh, why did it have to be those guys?" Steven asked, feeling awkward. "Oh, Hi Ruby 4ND." Leggy said obliviously as she waved at her former ally. "Do not address me you traitor!" Eyeball growled, causing Leggy to jump back in shock. "Proceed fellow gems." White Zircon spoke.

The trio then nodded before speaking. "I heard it straight from her. She said: _I'm the mighty Rose Quartz! I've got her shield and everything!_ And then she threw me into space!" Eyeball said, mocking what Steven said when he and those gems were stranded in space. "You tried to kill Steven, you had it com-Mmph!" Connie tried to say, but her mouth was quickly covered by Green Diamond's vines. "Be silent human. Now proceed Black Nephrite." Green Diamond said, allowing Black Nephrite to make her case...but of course...it was the same as Eyeball's.

"Um...I believe Eyeball already said my case...seeing as how it's the same of course." The commander spoke sheepishly. "Uh...Jasper, you go in that case." Green Diamond said awkwardly before Jasper nodded and started her part. "I was among the gems when I saw Rose shattering Pink. And then after seeing her in after the gem war...I vowed I'd do whatever it takes to avenge my diamond. She even hurt me several times and even threw me into space." Jasper said dramatically. "Come on Jasper...I thought we were getting along so well back then. I even healed your gem along with Eyeball's too." Steven pointed out.

"And who else has the ability to heal other gems than the villainous Rose Quartz?!" Eyeball growled, making a good point...but not relavent to the case. "Pink Diamond had that ability!" Goldsmuth and Leggy said in excitement, gaining everyone's attention. "Oh...sorry." Goldsmuth said sheepishly before sitting down again.

"So...there you have it. Rose Quartz did it and that's Rose Quartz. I rest my case." Yellow Zircon said as she bowed. "Oh she's good." Blue Zircon said to her friend. "Hmm something doesn't add up Z." Red Zircon said in suspicion, noticing Yellow Zircon winking to Yellow and Noir just as the Pearls closed their screens to say the case was over. "Oh dear...we're done for!" Topaz yelped.

"Well, I'm convinced. Time to execute!" Yellow Diamond said with satisfaction, looking towards Blue Diamond in the process. "About time. I couldn't hold these fingers in for much longer." Noir spoke, wanting to take her gloves off before she was stopped by Blue and Red Daimonds.

"No, you'll do no such thing. The defence still has to speak." Blue spoke as everyone turned to Blue Zircon. "Go get 'em tiger." Red whispered with encouragement. "Right. Well uh, before I start my very...uh, thought out defense, I'd like to remind the court that Rose Quartz _did_ turn herself in." Blue Zircon said before Steven whispered in her ear. "I mean...had her _sister_ , Nora, to think about." She corrected.

"And it's a very good action for a gem. Thinking of others before herself." Red Diamond said with approval. "The court remembers, and the court does not care." Yellow Diamond said bluntly. "Now get on with it or I'll scratch your gem with my fingers." Noir threatened.

"Uh, of course. Uh, in-innocent! Uh, the word innocent can mean, oh-many different things. Oh dear..." Blue Zircon started, taking hold of a few screens until her friend came up from behind her. "What she means to say is this: Some things that Pinocchio, over there, said, didn't add up. I mean the truth is..." Red Zircon added to back her friend up until she was cut off by Steven.

"I DIDN'T SHATTER PINK DIAMOND!" Steven yelled as he stood up, making all the gems from behind and even Holly Blue Agate gasp. The quartz soldiers from the kindergarten however, cheered Steven on. "Yeah! Go get them kid!" One of them said, only to be poofed by Noir's sword, causing the rest to sit back down.

"What, stop saying stuff like that." Blue Zircon said in a panic. "No! I want to hear more of what she has to say." Blue Diamond spoke as she moved her hand gently, raising the floor below Steven, Topaz, Leggy, Connie, Nora and Zach, all those panels went upwards to the height of the Diamonds.

"Uh oh..." Topaz said nervously as she saw her Ex-Diamond glaring at her and Leggy. "State your names for the rccord Please." Yellow Pearl requested. "Ok, my name is Zach Connors, and this is..." Zach started, but was cut off. "Connie Maheswaran and Nora Universe? Yeah...I read it from your history journal." Black Diamond said, holding up Nora's bag and a book.

"H-Hey! That's my diary! Give it back!" Nora squeaked upon seeing her own possessions in Noir's hands. "Fine...I've got no furher use for them anyway." Noir said, tossing the items to Nora's platform for her and Connie to catch.

"Please can you state your name? I'm not going to ask again." Yellow Pearl asked again in annoyance. "Um...ok. I'm Steven Universe...I'm not actually Rose Quartz, so I'm innocent." Steven said, showing his gem in the process which shimmered in the light, causing Yellow's eyes to widen in shock, Blue's to narrow in suspicion and Red's in fascination. Noir however...merely smirked evilly at the sight of the gemstone.

Green on the other hand was just pretty much confused. "Wait, don't say you're innocent! It'll make you more guilty." Blue Zircon spoke from below, oblivious to Yellow Zircon's snickering. "Whatever you guys think I did, I didn't. Look, I only wanted to keep my sister safe, but Noir took us away before we could get off. More importantly...just let those kids go, and leave the earth alone." Steven explained firmly.

"Ha! Sounds like a solid lie to me!" Yellow spoke with satisfaction. "And request denied. Your planet is to be mine after the cluster emerges." Noir added with a chuckle. "I believe him." Red said, gaining the attention of Yellow and Noir. "Er...I'm sorry. What?" Yellow asked in shock. "I said I believe Steven. This is not Rose Quartz. You're just blaming a human for something that someone else had done!" Red roared, immidiately heading up with a red aura to emmit her anger

"It's none of your business whether P...I mean, Rose shattered anyoe or not!" Noir spoke back, trying to use her power on Red Diamond, but faltered as Red used her eye against her powers. "I'm not even sure why you'd defend Rose Quartz's actions Red!" Green pouted in shock.

All the while, the gems were looking at their diamonds in concern, apart from the Zircons of course. "ENOUGH!" Blue bellowed, silencing her sisters before turning her attention towards Steven. "How? How did you do it?" She spoke, leaning in closer to Steven. "Um...wha...?" He responded nervously. "How did you shatter Pink Diamond?" Blue Diamond asked more clearly.

Steven felt like lying, but turned towards Nora who shook her head to say not to do it. In the end, the young boy decided to spill the beans...by of course telling some fake story. "Well...it was done on Earth, in front of Pink Diamond's palanquin..." He started but then shook his head sadly. "Ok...I'll be honset. I don't know how it happened. I-I wasn't around when it happened. Rose Quartz probably, had a big battle and in the end...possbily regretted what she did." Steven explained from what he heard.

All the while, Blue Zircon was hitting her head against the pillar in embarrassment, even making Yellow Pearl uncomfortable and Jasper furious. Blue Pearl however drew Steven nonetheless. "This is so cool." Goldsmuth said in amazement, shocking Hessonite in the process.

"In the end...I think...Rose probably had to use the Breaking Point to finish the job." Steven explained, infuriating Blue Diamond in the process. "IT WAS A SWORD!" Blue roared, covering her eyes as she emmited a blue aura which spread throughout the room. Strangely, this aura was causing all the gems in the room to cry.

Yellow tried desperately to hold back her tears.

Green and Red were affected by it and nearly fell to the floor with depression.

The pearls were also crying too with Yellow Pearl leaking, Blue Pearl cried with a single stream of tears going down her cheek, Green Pearl bawled her eyes out like Holly Blue Agate and the Quartz soldiers from the zoo, even Red Pearl covered her mouth sadly.

Blue and Red Zircons were trying to support each other through the aura but had difficulties doing so. Yellow, Green and White Zircons however, were less upset and easily overcame the tears.

Goldsmuth cried so much alongside Hessonite, The rubies, Aquamarine and Squaridot, nearly flooding their jury spot with tears of sadness.

But Nora...she took it the hardest, thinking about her own mother made her and the thought of her never seeing her again had upset her. "Nora, are you ok?" Zach asked in concern as he rushed to help Nora along with Connie.

All but, Noir, Black Pearl and Bloodstone were affected by the aura.

"You...shattered her...with a sword! This sword." Blue softly, her aura suddenly ceasing before bringing up Rose's sword and showing it to the gang before sitting on her throne and sobbing with Red to comfort her. Hearing this and upon seeing his mother's sword caused Connie to remember something from a while back on Earth.

* * *

 _"_ _During the first gem war, I designed Rose's sword for putting up fair fight. It is able to cut through a gem's physical form in an instant! While it can destroy the body, it can't destroy the Gem._ _" Bismuth said._

* * *

Remembering what Bismuth said, Connie was having thoughts about how Pink Diamond could have been shattered, Rose's sword wasn't able to shatter gems.

"That's quite enough testimony from you traitors. You've said enough to ruin our perfect empire. Not to mention all the other crimes you pulled on Earth." Yellow Diamond in anger. "What crimes?" Steven asked in confusion. "Don't act stupid Rose, you committed many crimes, but shattering Pink, was the last straw!" Noir screeched.

"Commander Hessonite." Noir then spoke, summoning Hessonite to the stand with her prism at hand, much to Steven's horror. "You stole my prism and turned it against me!" Hessonite explained dramatically with lies. "Um, that wasn't my fault?" Steven said nervously.

"Bismuth 1SL!" Noir spoke once again, summoning a Bismuth to the stand, only this Bismuth looked like she was made of bronze with her gemstone on her navel and had a huge dreadlocked ponytail. "You knocked my Super-Spire on top of an eighth of our army! MY PRECIOUS WORK THAT YOU DESTROYED!" Bismuth 1SL roared in anger. Steven fiugred that this gem was the Bismuth that his Bismuth was after.

"And Peridot 5X...G" At first Steven thought it was going to be his Peridot, but it wasn't. It was a gem like Peridot, only she was in Blue Diamond's court and her gem was located on her hip instead of her forehead. "You turned her against my court, you're the only one I know of who can do that." Yellow stated in anger, oblivious to the Peridot looking in confusion. "That's not the Peridot I know." Steven pointed out in annoyance. "Of course it is." Yellow Diamond stated in confusion. "No, this is not our Peridot. The one _without_ limb enhancers." Steven explained before the blue peridot turned to the Diamonds.

"I told you that you had the wrong gem!" The Not-Peridot stated in annoyance to Black Diamond. "What do you mean?" Blue Diamond asked in shock. "I mean, my name is Peridot, but it's 5XB, the Peridot _you're_ thinking about, she was the one with the gem on her forehead and sappy attitude." Peridot 5XB explained to the Diamonds.

"Oh... _that_ Peridot. Well...it'll be a shame to you...but a benefit for me and Yellow...to know that she was _shattered_ before the trial." Noir said with a smirk. Hearing this, Steven became shocked along with Connie, Topaz, Zach and Nora. "Shattered?! No...it can't be..." Steven said in disbelief as Nora nearly broke down into tears. "And why wasn't I notified of this?" Blue asked in shock and anger. "You didn't need to know. Besides, she got what she deserved. Plus, we manage to get back one of our most powerful items too, the Prism of Light. So let's just shatter Rose right here, and right now." Noir spoke with a chuckle along with Hessonite.

"That Prism belong to Purity Diamond! YOU STOLE IT FROM HER!" Steven yelled in anger, calling out Yellow Diamond who was taken by surprise at hearing Purity's name. "Noir...I'd like a word with you for a moment. Court dismissed for recess." Yellow said before grabbing Noir and dragging her out of the room.

* * *

During Recess

Red Diamond's Pearl and Zircon decided to search the archives for any info on Pink Diamond's demise. It was there that they found a good bit of evidence which was forgotten. "Hey RZ, come look at this." Red Pearl said in shock, calling her ally over.

Together, the two gems looked at the info and gasped in shock. "My goodness. There's a lot of info in here which wasn't mentioned at the trial. Yellow wanting to get rid of Rose Quartz in order for _the Prophecy_ to be extinguished? Get rid of defective gems who have no purpose?! And prevent Green Diamond from having her abilities to use instead of colonizing other planets?" Red Zircon gasped in shock.

"This is all the the most important info we can find Why've they kept Green Diamond locked up in a cage? Metephorically speaking of course." Red Pearl asked in concern. "Yeah...and why aren't the other Diamonds telling this to our Diamond this?" Red Zircon asked in confusion. .

"I've gotta tell Z about this, you go tell our Diamond secretly what's been happening. The Authority is corrupted." Red Zircon said as Red Pearl nodded in agreement. After the two pearls left, a small figure appeared from behind the archives. "So...my diamond is trying to get rid of _the prophecy eh?_ " She said in annoyance.

* * *

Back with Steven and the gang

Blue Zircon was scolding the heads off of Steven and the gang. "What were you saying out there?! _Probably_ this? _Probably_ that?! Oh, what do you mean, probably?!" She exclaimed in annoyance. "And you two! Why didn't you do anything to stop her?!" Blue Zircon asked Topaz in anger. "What did I do?! I wanted to hear about this trial." Topa explained. "Yeah! Come on, I mean me and Topa are having doubts that this happened to Pink Diamond." Azzy explained.

"Look...I honestly don't know how the shattering happened, ok?" Steven groaned in annoyance. "You don't know?!" Blue Zircon asked in annoyance. "Yeah...wait, what are we talking about again?" Leggy asked in confusion before she and Steven were yanked off the floor. "Don't tumble my rocks! All of our gems are on the line here! Did you shatter Pink Diamond or not?!" Blue Zircon asked angrily. "Alright! Yes, it was me!" Steven yelled, causing Blue Zircon to drop Steven to the floor in shock.

"It _was_ me. Rose Quartz was the one who shattered Pink Diamond, and since I've got her gem...I'm the one who's got to pay for this. Maybe...I'll see Peridot on the other side if this is the case..." Steven said sadly, devastated about hearing that Peridot was shattered, and she never got to say goodbye to her.

Topaz then re-fused into her huge self before going over to Steven with a raised voice. "What's wrong?" She asked crossly, causing Steven to look at his friend. "What do you mean Topaz?" He asked effortlessly. "A moment ago, you were defending yourself against something Rose Quartz did, and now that you heard that your friend, Peridot, was shattered, you've given up! Just tell me, why the sudden mood change?" The fusion complained in anger.

"Peridot's gone!...and I couldn't save her...and it's my fault she got into this mess." Steven explained, "Shattering yourself won't bring her back Steven. So the least we can do, is avenge her." Topaz said soothingly. "Y-Yes. Also, I'm sorry for your loss." Blue Zircon said solemnly.

"Rgh! If I didn't hear about my mom shattering Pink Diamond from those gems, none of this would have happened." Steven said sadly, a few tears falling onto the floor. "But then we wouldn't have met Steven. Anyways, you couldn't have known what happened, I mean, you weren't around back then. Besides, the Diamonds probably don't care anyway." Topaz explained, immediately catching Blue Zircon's attention.

"Wait...what did you say?" She asked in confusion. "The Diamond's don't care?" Topaz asked in confusion. "No no no, before that." Blue Zircon asked. "Oh, I said that Steven couldn't have known what happened. Why?" Topaz asked in confusion, but never got an answer when Blue Zircon turned back to Steven.

"You don't know how it happened...do you?" She asked in suspicion, causing Steven to shake his head. "Hmm...I get it. There's a reason they want you to explain, and a reason why Black Diamond wants you gone immediately." Blue Zircon said, pulling out a screen and looking at it. "There is?" Leggy asked in confusion.

"Yes. And the reason is...because it doesn't make sense!" Blue Zircon said in realisation before the door leading to the trial opened up again, revealing Red Zircon. "Z!" Red Zircon said as she ran towards her friend. "RZ? What's wrong this time?" Blue Zircon asked in confusion. "You're not gonna believe this!" Red Zircon spoke, showing what she and Red Pearl had found amongst the information, making Blue Zircon gasp.

* * *

Back in the Trial

The gang went back in to complete the trial, and thankfully Blue Zircon was the first to give her case. "Rose Quartz is flawed, I grant you. A shallow strata-gem who turned against her own kind along with a few other gems out of a misguided attachment to a planet and creatures like these." She said, warping Connie, Nora and Zach back into the room.

"Is it wierd that I'm getting sick by being warped around?" Zach asked, feeling a little queasy in his stomach. "I think it isn't." Nora added, feeling a little sick herself. "It's indisputable that as the Diamond overseeing Earth, Pink was Rose Quartz's enemy, along with many other gems too. Rose had everything to gain by shattering her. But even though she may have wanted to shatter Pink Diamond to save the planet, could she?" Red Zircon added, making a very good point along with her partner.

Hearing this, Yellow Diamond raised her eyebrow in suspicion and Noir merely glared at the Zircon with a hint of rage rising within her. "Black Diamond, for the purpose of this argument, may I please present your palanquin?" Blue Zircon asked, hoping for permission. "No way, this isn't necessary!" Noir said in annoyance. "Quite my point Noir." Yellow Diamond added in boredom. "Of course it's necessary Noir. Please, proceed." Blue said, waving her hand and warping in what the gang to describe as Black's Palanquin.

It was small like Pink's only it was deadly and looked more of a war vehicle. "Woah...talk about a pimped out ride." Zach said in awe, causing Nora to look at him in surprise. "Now, as the records show, Pink Diamond was shattered just outside a palanquin much like this, only it was more nicer than this." Blue Zircon explained, shivering at the sight of Black's Palanquin as she walked onto the vehicle. "Hey, watch it you pebble!" Noir growled in anger. "Y-Yes. Anyways, witnesses say Pink had just stepped out of her palanquin and had only taken a few steps forward when Rose attacked her from the front!" Blue Zircon continued, making Blue Diamond turn away sadly.

"But the question nobody seems to be asking is, _how?_ " Red Zircon pointed out, winking at her Diamond and even annoying Yellow and White Zircons too. "I've been asking that question." Blue Diamond pointed out along with Red Diamond who nodded. "And right you are to ask My Diamonds! Because at the time that Pink was shattered, Rose Quartz had been a recognized threat for several hundred years." Red Zircon added with confidence. "Yeah yeah, we were all there when My Diamond was shatterd you idiot." Black Nephrite said in boredom. "Can't you tell us something exciting for once?" Aquamarine asked in annoyance.

"Well...if it's exciting you want, then here's the strange part: There were no Rose Quartz soldiers in Pink Diamond's entourage and none in her guard. So how did a Rose Quartz, with no business being anywhere close to her in the first place? Where were Pink Diamond's attendants? Her Agates, Her Sapphires, Her Rubies, Her Bismuths, Her Peridots, and if that's not strange enough, then where was her Pearl?" Blue Zircon asked, leaving question upon question about good facts on the shattering.

This caused Steven to realise that Pink may not have been shattered by his own mother and it even surprised Topaz and Leggy. Nora shyed away upon hearing what Blue Zircon said. Blue was becoming more and more confused on whether or not the shattering actually happened.

However, the pearls were affected by this info a lot when they looked at each other in shock. "Woah..." Topaz said in shock. Yellow Zircon wanted to say something, but was cut off when Yellow Diamond slammed her fists down on her throne angrily. "They were with her, of course, they saw the whole thing!" Yellow growled to Blue Zircon. "It's true! Besides, those gems were usless and had to go!" Noir added, clenching her teeth in anger.

"But none of them saw Rose Quartz approach? Wouldn't her Sapphires have seen Rose Quartz coming? Wouldn't her Agates and Rubies have tried to fight her off? Wouldn't her Bismuths have built defences around her?" Blue Zircon said, giving more questions along with her partner, Red Zircon.

"That _is_ strange!" Steven gasped in shock. "I knew it...you were innocent." Topaz said in relief. "She must have slipped past them!" Yellow angrily insisted with Noir on the verge of having a meltdown, gaining the attention of Blue Diamond who was shocked to hear about this new information. "No...when it comes to a Sapphire, you can _never_ get past them." Red Diamond pointed out firmly.

"Indeed Red Diamond. But even if she _did_ manage to get past all those gems, wouldn't her Pearl have cried out in alarm, _Watch out, My Diamond!_ or wouldn't she have called for one of the aid of her sisters?" Blue Zircon pointed out, becoming more confident and serious than before.

"No, whoever did this was already close to Pink Diamond." Red Diamond said in a serious manner. "Someone her guards would allow to get near her." Blue Zircon added, causing Jasper, Aquamarine and Eyeball to stare in disbelief.

"Someone she'd have already known for a long time." Red Zircon then said while Drusy Quartz looked unimpressed by the evidence. "Someone she would listen to when asked to stop her palanquin and step outside." Blue Zircon explained as Red, Green and Blue Diamonds listened.

"And someone with the authority to cover it up afterwards!" Red Zircon said, causing Steven to gasp in realisation on who the culprit my have been. "Someone with supreme authority." Blue Zircon said. "Someone with undeniable authority." Red Zircon said after her partner. "Someone...like _one of you!_ " They both said, pointing at the Diamonds themselves, causing Blue Diamond and many other gems to gasp in horror.

"But not Red or Green Diamonds of course, because they weren't around back then." Red Zircon responded sheepishly, causing most of the gems to calm down. "What?! One of the Diamonds shattered their own?!" "This is outrageous!" "How could you?!" "I resent you!" Many of the gems said. Zach snickered, that the Diamonds were looking at their court members in embarrassment and shock as they kept yelling at them.

"You see everyone...there's more to this shattering than any of us thought. Because...according to a secret form of records, there was a prophecy told only to the diamonds by a Star Sapphire. It states the following: _If the authority keeps going down their genocidal path, they would be defeated by a quartz of the pink rose, and with a noble army at hand, she would eventually bring dismantle the diamond authority. S_ o one of the three suspects wanted to make sure this prophecy never came true and shattered Pink Diamond." Blue Zircon explained, reading out the info to everyone.

"Wow...that's one heck of a prophecy dude." Zach said, earning a hit on the shoulder by Connie. "So that's it?! And we captured Rose Quartz for nothing?!" Aquamarine asked angrilly. "We were tricked, three times?!" Doc asked, getting up from her seat along with the rest of her squad. "Well I never..." Hessonite said in insult.

"So there you have it, Rose Quartz could not have shattered Pink Diamond, and one of the three suspects had done it. I rest my case." Insulted by this, Yellow stood up from her throne as she looked at Blue Zircon. "Noir..." She said, causing Black Diamond to get up and advance towards Blue Zircon, causing her to back up in fear.

"Uh, please disregard that last statement before I mentioned you all, I might have gotten carried away!" She pleaded in fear. "Oh no no no, please don't misunderstand. You did your job well..." Black Diamond said soothingly. "Oh thank the stars." Blue Zircon said in relief. "It's that now you know _too much_...of something I missed my chance to do." Noir hissed, summoning her sword and slicing through Blue Zircon.

"How could you do that?! She was innocent!" Red Zircon asked angrilly, causing Noir to turn her head and stare at the Red Zircon with her orange eyes, causing her to shriek in fear. "Case closed, right Black Diamond?" Yellow Zircon said before being picked up her own Diamond. "You had one job Zircon, just one! And you already failed it." Yellow growled before throwing her tp the ground. "What is going on here?!" Green Zircon asked in shock, but only to be cut off by Yellow who angrily turned and generated a powerful form of Electrokinesis to strike the zircon and poof her.

"Yellow, Noir! Stop it! Why are you doing this?!" Blue said angrily, confronting the two Diamonds about their strange behaviour along with Red and Green. "Yes! Stop distrupting their forms you maniacs!" Green Diamond added in shock. All the while however, Steven, Topaz and Leggy saw this as an opportunity to escape and took it.

"Guys, we gotta go." Steven said, helping Connie and Nora to their feet. "Nice. Escape time, but...where do we go exactly?" Zach asked in confusion. "The door over there. Let's go!" Conne pointed out, showing that the door to the other rooms was open.

"We don't need to listen to this nonesense! Let's shatter Rose Quartz and those traitors and be done with this nonesense!" Yellow Diamond insisted angrily. "You'll do no such thing! You heard that Zircon right?!" Red Diamond said sternly with a glare. "You've forgotten your place, this is all about extinguishing this prophecy so we don't fall apart, and that's what I'm doing!" Noir growled. "Can't either of you restrain yourselves?!" Blue asked in a serious tone.

"But it's pointless!" Yellow Diamond said in her own defence. "No...it's not!" Green Diamond insisted in annoyance, oblivious to the gang attempting to escape. "Man, this was a really intense trial. But now we're outta harm's way." Zach said, hoping for the best, however, he was proven wrong when Jasper, Drusy Quartz, Eyeball, Aquamarine and Hessonite jumped in front of them.

"Rose...you lied?!" Jasper growled. "I told you, I'm Steven, not Rose." Steven said, wanting to calm the gems down, but it didn't work. "You've made us look like idiots!" Aquamarine exclaimed. "Even making us forget those humans on Earth!" Hessonite pointed out.

"Run!" Connie yelped, gaining the attention of the Diamonds. Zach then used the blue gemstone to blast the persuers away and it worked. "Phew...don't those guys have anything better to do Steven?" Zach asked rhetorically. "I don't think so." Steven said sheepishly.

The gang tried to figure a way out, but then Noir then spotted the blue gemstone in Zach's hand as she growled. "So...you're not only a murderer, but a thief too Rosie?!" Black Diamond growled in anger. "The hive mind! GIVE IT BACK!" Yellow gasped in anger as she tried to reclaim it from the gang.

At that moment however, the lights in the trial went out. encasing the whole room in a bit of darkness. "Hey...what's going on? Who turned out the lights?" Noir asked in confusion. "My Diamond...someone manually shut off the lights and defence systems to this room." Squaridot pointed out, showing one of her screens as proof.

"Hey you clods, did you miss me?" A familiar voice spoke, causing Steven and the others to turn around in confusion towards Noir's palanquin. They were stunned to see a familiar green gem, only she wasn't wearing her homeworld outfit, rather...she was wearing one which fitted in with the Crystal Gems.

Her bodysuit was now dark green and had a star on it, her leggings were bright green with dark green stars on each knee and she now wore light yellow boots. What's more is that her visor was bigger, transparent to the point where it tinted her eyes as a brownish-gold colour and shaped like a butterfly with her gem exposed on her forehead.

"It can't be..." Steven said in disbelief. "Peridot!" Nora pointed out happily. "What's with you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost. But that's right, it is I...Peridot." Peridot said with pride before noticing the Diamonds. "That's right Yellow Clod, don't you remember me?" Peridot asked with excitement. "No." Yellow simply said in annoyance before setting her quartz soldiers onto the palanquin. "Come on you clods, let's get off this planet!" Hearing this, the gang then ran onto Noir's palanquin.

"Soldiers, get them, but don't hit my palanquin!" Noir ordered as the guards attempted to board the palanquin. "Hurry up please! Those titans aren't gonna be standing around forever!" Zach pointed out in annoyance. "I'm working on it Zach!" Peridot exclaimed in annoyance.

Together, Steven and Peridot attempted to move Noir's palanquin to the nearest exit, but it was only moving from side to side. It was able to knock many enemies out of their way, but it wasn't enough. "This is no use you guys!" Leggy stated in fear before accidently hitting a button with her hand, causing the whole vehicle to jump out of the building, smashing a hole in the building in the process.

Zach was the first to set his eyes upon a world which couldn't recognise, an advanced world with a lot of technology from the looks of it, even a huge white torso with a head was seen from a distance. "Bro...this is awesome..." The 15 year old said in amazement. "Steven...where are we?" Connie asked in shock. "Homeworld..." Steven replied, figuring this was the one place where they'd be brought.

"Well...Lapis was right about the advanced part. But I still don't see how this place is low on resources when you guys are powered with light." Steven said in amazement before looking at Peridot. "I'll tell you that some other time Steven because...because I think we're falling!" Peridot said in shock.

At that moment, a yellow diamond shaped blast destroyed the walls of the trial and revealed Yellow and Black Diamonds looking at them sternly alongside the other gems who the gang had fought. "You think you can get away Rose? You stood your ground on that little spec called Earth...but you're on _our_ world now." Yellow Diamond spoke. "I'm coming for you Rosie...no matter how long it takes, I'll reclaim the hive mind and extinguish the prophecy!" Noir growled in anger.

"That won't happen YOU CLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODS!" Peridot screamed as she and her friends all fell down into the dark pits underneath homeworld on the palanquin. "Ugh! "That was Peridot 5XG, I thought you said she was shattered Hessonite?" Black Diamond spoke with a hint of anger.

"She was _supposed_ to be shattered!" Hessonite yelled in a fit of rage. "Yeah...it's strange..." Goldsmuth stated sheepishly. Hessonite and the other villainous gems then turned their attention towards Goldsmuth who was the last gem to have held Peridot's gem.

"Gold...let me see that Shatter Wand." Squaridot ordered through her clenched teeth. Goldsmuth handed over the Shatter Wand to the peridot, but shockingly, there was a label on the wand which said Shatter Wand.

Squaridot removed the label and saw that there was another name written underneath it. "This isn't a Shatter Wand, this is a Gem-Enhancing Wand with the essance of Era 1 gems and Red...DIAMOND! RGH!" Hessonite yelled in anger as she threw the wand at Goldsmuth's head which rebounded and smashed on the floor. The Diamonds, apart from Red and Green, were annoyed by this. "Well...in my defence, you're wands all look alike. Maybe you should consider re-labeling most of them." Goldsmuth stated as Hessonite hit her head off Squaridot's limb enhancers.

"Hunt Rose Quartz down, shatter her and her allies and be done with this! Now!" Hessonite ordered immediately as she shoved Goldsmuth who looked over the side and down into the pit below. "What about the trial?" The bismuth asked in concern, completely going off topic. "Goldsmuth...this is obviously of importance." Aquamarine stated in annoyance. "Can't I have backup?" Goldsmuth asked with puppy eyes, making a good point.

"Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give you backup." Hessonite said in agreement, having given in of course. "And weapons?" Goldsmuth said with excitement. "Alright, we'll get you some technology. THEN HUNT ROSE QUARTZ DOWN, SHATTER HER AND HER ALLIES AND BE DONE WITH THIS!" Noir said before yelling in absolute anger as she immediately teleported out of the room with her minions to hunt down Steven and the gang.

* * *

 **Well...that was certainly some reveal eh?**

 **And for those of you who were worried about Peridot...relax, I wasn't planning on getting rid of her**

 **So now...all that's left to do is work on one of my favourite chapters before the last one and then it's onto AOTG 3 ^^**

 **Stay tuned for now**

 **Negaboss2000 out**


	19. Off-Colors

**At last...we've come to my favourite episode of Season 5.**

 **I'm talking about Off Colors of course ^^**

 **New gems are introduced, including my faves, and...actually I think that's pretty much it.**

 **Anyways, enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **Off Colors**

Far beneath homeworld's empire above.

Black Diamond's palanquin was broken, smashed to pieces even. Nothing was moving at all...apart from one of it's legs being pushed by Steven and Zach. "Ow..." Nora groaned, immediately catching Steven's attention. "Nora! Are you ok?!" He asked, freaking out in the process.

"Steven...I'm fine. At least, thanks to your bubble." Nora responded with a chuckle. "Heh, well...both our bones hurt to be honest." Connie added awkwardly, causing Steven to chuckle. "Yeah...my bones too." Steven said, holding his hands out to help the girls up. Steven then handed Connie his mother's sword back to her. "My sword, I thought it was still with the Diamonds?" Connie said in surprise. "Well, thankfully Topaz grabbed it from that Yellow Zircon before we ran for it." Steven explained, revealing that he managed to get the sword back.

"Thank you so much Steven. Really...I don't know where any of us would be without you." Connie said after hugging Steven. "Oh my stars...it was chaos up there!" Peridot said, getting out of the wreckage along with Topaz, Leggy and the kids. "If that Square clod hadn't had sent that report in, then this wouldn't have..." But before she could finish, Peridot suddenly found herself being hugged by Steven. "Peridot...I thought you were shattered." The young boy admitted, shedding a few tears in the process. "When we heard that...we all thought the worst." Connie added.

"Hey...I'm alright. I've been worried about you clods ever since, so I went to find you." Peridot said with reassurance, hugging Steven back. "Glad to know it. So...what were those scary titans? Why were they angry at you?" Nora asked, having covered her ears in fright during the trial. "That's right, you didn't know. Well...those were the Diamonds. Apart from Red Diamond, they've been after mom for 6000 years, and now they're after me." Steven pointed out to Nora.

"Which is actually because they don't want some prophecy to come true." Zach added, making a good point. "Yeah...but we gotta move, come on." Steven said, getting Nora onto his back and running along with the gang away from the palanquin. It was just in time, because a few figures climbed down from the surface.

* * *

After a mile

The gang kept running until their legs were tired. They had stopped by a bunch of old statues which was probably from Era 1. "Bro...how can we get off this planet? Any ideas on where we're going?" Zach asked, trying to catch his breath. "No...to be honest, this is my first time on homeworld too." Steven admitted sheepishly. "We're on the the ground, the original place where Era 1 first began." Peridot pointed out.

"Oh great. Now how are we going to get home?! We haven't even got any food!" Connie said in annoyance. Nora then realised something before looking through her bag. "Oh my...I almost forgot. I still have the snacks I wanted to give to Aquamarine on Earth." The young girl said.

The gang were so relieved by this and each took one snack just in case. "I still don't understand why you brought those snacks Nora." Topaz admitted in confusion. "I brought them so I could try and befriend Aquamarine...but only before I discovered she was a brat." Nora explained before hearing a noise.

"Well...this food could last us for at least a few weeks, but it'll only last if we eat less...and I don't think this'll be a good situation." Peridot admitted with fear rising within her. "Oh nuts, I forgo-" Zach started, but was cut off by Nora. "Wait! I think I hear something." She said, holding her hears to hear a noise...or so she thought.

Nora then turned towards the source of the new noise, which was Leggy munching on one of the bars from the bag. "Sorry, I just wanted to try this for myself." The ruby admitted sheepishly. "Phew...you had us going there for a second Leggy." Peridot said in relief, but it became a short relief when something came down from above.

It was some kind of homeworld machine which was a small cone-shaped tan machine which illuminated the area which the gang was at. Seeing the machine caused the gang to yell in fright. "Oh my stars, it's a shattering robonoid! We gotta run!" Peridot squeaked in terror, but was stopped by Topaz.

"Wait! If we stand still, that thing won't see us. I saw this in a movie five years ago." Zach insisted, getting the gang to stay still as the robonoid approached. "Good point, plus, Robonoids don't see me as a threat, so maybe this is a good advantage." Topaz said, looking on the bright side.

The robonoid then activated some kind of detecting light which scanned the gang and caused Steven's, Peridot's, Leggy's and Topaz's gems to glow. "Ok...I may have been wrong before." Topaz admitted sheepishly. The robonoid then opened up with a red cross before activating a powerful looking laser.

"Um...guys...?" Nora started nervously. "We should...probably move!" Steven finished as he pulled Connie out of the way right before the laser was fired and blasted a rock. Boy it was lucky that the others got out of the way in time, otherwise they would have been hurt.

"Now do you clods see what I mean?!" Peridot grumbled in annoyance. "Y-Yeah...sure." Leggy admitted nervously before the robonoid turned in their direction. "Guys, come on!" Steven said, getting the gang to run from their pursuer.

The gang rounded a corner where they kept going while the robonoid was distracted for a brief moment. "Rgh! I'm so sick of this!" Zach admitted, feeling a bit crazy. "I'm glad you're seeing things seriously Zach, but I promise we're go-" Connie started as the gang rounded another corner to hide, but was cut off by Zach. "No! It's not that! I hate being some kind of dumb loser! For as long as I can remember, I've been bad at everything except gaming of course. I never find the right moment to do the right thing! I probably never will!" He admitted tearfully, having another mental breakdown like before.

"Hey...you aren't some dumb loser. You're nothing like Darren says, you're just a good kid who hasn't found his place in the universe yet." Nora said with reassurance. "Plus, you were able to fight off those gems with that hive mind you're holding." Topaz pointed out with a smile. "Y-Yeah...thanks. And on the plus side...I am involved in this wild adventure." The teenager admitted with a chuckle.

"But how are we going to hide from those robonoids?" Peridot asked in annoyance. "Quickly! Down here!" A voice spoke, gaining the gang's attention in the process. Steven and Nora then saw a hand, promoting everyone to go into the hole it was sticking out of. "Um...Steven...I don't think it's a good idea to go in there." Topaz admitted sheepishly.

"It's either that or face the robonoids." Steven said as the robonoid came around the corner. He then jumped down the hole with Connie and Nora in desperation. Zach and Peridot went next before Leggy. Topaz was hesitant, but then jumped down the hole.

However...the huge fusion became stuck. "H-Help! Guys, I'm stuck!" She screamed as she tried to get down the hole. "I can't pull you down, you're too big!" Nora said in panic, trying to help her friend from below. "This is it! I'm done for! I'm sorry Nora! Wait...hang on a moment...I can shapeshift." Topaz said before realising something obvious and shapeshifted herself to become smaller.

* * *

In the hole

Boy it was a close one, the rock had sealed the hole from above and the robonoid went away. Topaz was hugging Nora, Zach, Peridot and Leggy as when the robonoid was still scanning from above. Even Connie was holding onto Steven tightly because of that.

Everyone was relived when the robonoid went away. "That was close..." Steven said in relief. "Y-Yeah...we've had close before right?" Connie said with a chuckle. "Woah...I didn't know you two cared about each other _that_ much." Zach said as he and the other gems looked over at the two kids. "What do you..." Connie started, but stopped when she realised that Zach was talking about her relationship with Steven.

Realising, the two kids let go of each other out of fear. "Um, yeah. We made it." Steven said, denying anything what Zach was saying. "Y-Yeah, what Steven said." Connie sat, trying to hide her blush with her hair.

"Well...we're safe thanks to...wait, who was it that saved us?" Peridot asked in confusion, looking around for the person who saved their bacon. "Don't worry." The voice spoke again as a figure come up to the gang, although something seemed off about this figure. "You're safe now." The figure spoke. "We're not gonna hurt you." Another figure said beside the first figure.

"Thank you so much...whoever you are." Nora said thankfully with tears in her eyes. "Y-Yeah. I'm forever in your debt." Topaz said in approval. "Me too." Leggy added with glee. "Also, who are you..." Peridot started before the gem on this figure glowed to reveal...themselves?

The figure was revealed to be two gems sharing one body, this was told to Nora because of their gemstone which was a Y shape and located on their navel where both bodies were connected. They had the appearance of slender twins who were a little shorter than Topaz, they both had red hair with the same hairstyle that was pointy at the top of their head, they wore an open-toed red and dark red bodysuit, one half red with dark red stripes and the other half dark red with red stripes.

The sight of their appearance caused Peridot, Zach and Connie to scream in panic, however this also made the two gems frightened too. "Connie, it's alright." Steven said, calming Connie down. "Zach, they won't hurt us." Nora said, doing the same to Zach. "I know...sorry, I overreacted here. Thanks for the help." Zach admitted sheepishly. "Oh my stars...a Rutile." Peridot said in amazement as the two gems came over to inspect the gang.

"How bizarre. What are these ones?" The Rutile's right head asked with fascination as she looked at Steven, Connie, Nora and Zach. "They certainly don't look like Gems we've ever seen before." The left head on the Rutile spoke. "And judging from the looks of a Topaz fusion, a small Peridot and a confused Ruby..." The right head started again, but was cut off when they both heard a Robonoid rom above.

"Come, this way." The Rutile's left head spoke. "This way, come." The Rutile's right head spoke afterwards. Steven and Nora were about to follow the two gems along with Peridot, but were stopped by Topaz. "Um...are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked nervously. "They seem...different than any other homeworld Gem, Topaz. I think we can trust them." Steven said before following Peridot.

"Besides, they're not harmful." Nora added with a soft smile, following her brother. The others then decided to follow, feeling like those gems were really helpful. "Hey Peridot, how did you know what those gems were?" Steven asked Peridot in confusion. "Because of their gemstone, although...I've never seen a Rutile like this one before." Peridot explained to Steven. "Um...excuse me, where exactly are we going?" Leggy asked in confusion. "Somewhere...long forgotten." The left Rutile replied. "Where only those who don't belong...belong." The right Rutile replied.

"Woah...sounds like a place for me. There wouldn't happen to be any fast-food joints around there, would there?" Zach said jokingly, causing Nora to smile at him being on the bright side. Sure there weren't going to be any fast-food joints, hew knew that himself.

* * *

After a while of walking

The group came to the end of the cavern to the edge of a cliff. The sight of this new location made the gang gasp in shock. "Bro...what is this place?" Zach asked, looking around to see millions of holes within the pillars. "A Kindergarten...a really, really big one." Steven replied, recognising the place like the kindergarten back on Earth. "It's one of the original and oldest kindergartens on homeworld, you'd be surprised where all the Era 1 gems come from." Peridot explained.

The group continued walking until they reached another cavern, once inside, the two twins whistled loudly. "We're back!" The right Rutile spoke aloud. "Here we are! It's ok to come out!" The left Rutile added.

Zach, Leggy and Topaz were a bit confused why the two gems were speaking aloud until they heard another voice speaking. "Oh, thank goodness! I hope you weren't followed! You weren't, right, I hope, you double checked!" The voice spoke, coming out of one of the holes while looking around.

The figure was another gem who had a muscular build like Garnet who had raspberry pink skin, a long pointed nose that was turned upward, black hair styled as an afro and highlighted with light-medium orchid parts. She looked like a fusion, which was shown by her four arms, two big and two thin arms on her waist. She wore a black and mauve jumpsuit with a diamond shaped cutout on the navel to reveal a Ruby gemstone, a pair of mauve leggings, one part covering her entire right leg and the other only covering part of her left thigh. The gem also wore a black ballet flat on her right foot and a mauve boot on the left. She wore a sheer pink shawl which covered a solid gemstone on her chest, had deep burgundy gloves from the elbow-down on her thin arms and possessed four eyes, two big ones and the bottom. Overall...she looked like Garnet from before she met Rose Quartz for the first time.

Upon seeing Steven and the others, the gem freaked out. "You've been _followed_!" She shrieked in fear. Steven, Nora and Topaz went up to the gem to try and reassure her, but she backed away in fear. "Hi. Don't worry, I'm not a threat or anything." Steven said gently. "Yeah...I'm just a nice little girl." Nora added with a smile. "And I'm not even dangerous." Topaz spoke, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's ok, Rhodonite." The Rutile's right head spoke. "Relax. We brought them here." The left head added with reassurance. "They're with us." The right head spoke once more. "Can we trust them?" The gem called Rhodonite asked, still unsure about the gang. "Sure." The right Rutile spoke. "I think so." The left head added.

At that moment, another gem appeared from behind Connie and Zach, even gaining the attention of a Peridot and Leggy. The gem was small as a Sapphire and around the same height as Steven and Nora, she had peach orange skin, plump lips, pale peach shoulder length hair with bangs which covered her eye and a cowlick on the top of her head. She also wore an attire which consisted of a cream, peach and red-orange floor-length gown with a cream collar, shoulder pads and elbow-length gloves. Her skirt was peach and had an upper layer with orange on it and an off-cream trim which was tied in a bow like a flower design, Her gemstone was on the back of her right hand, similar to Sapphire who had her gem on her right hand's palm.

"Everyone, a wondrous prediction has come before me: The twins of Rutile will bring one, no...seven...strangers to our current place of hiding!" The sapphire spoke, revealing to have a delayed future vision. "Ugh, this'll get annoying really fast." Peridot groaned in annoyance, confusing Leggy in the process who almost fell in love with the sapphire.

"We know Padparadscha, your prediction already happened!" Rhodonite said in annoyance. "They were being chased upon the surface by one of those terrible robonoids." The left Rutile explained as Padparadscha turned in their direction. "Don't tell me you tried to fight those things." Rhodonite said in concern. "No, no, of course not. These ones were about to be scanned when we pulled them right under." The right Rutile spoke. "We were just in time." The left head spoke.

"Yeah...you have no idea how scared I was up there." Topaz admitted, having a near death experience with the robonoid. "Let...me...see." A slow voice spoke, causing Zach, Connie and Peridot to look behind and see a gem which really freaked Zach and Peridot out.

The owner of the voice was a fourth gem who wasn't humanoid, but rather, she was similar to the appearance of a large caterpillar. Six parts of this gem's body, from head to the sixth part, were all in different colours, sea-foam green, earthy greyish blue, dark blue, indigo, purple and purplish pink, which seemed to be her bodysuit. Her two upper body parts below her head had two pairs of slender arms, the first pair had elbow-length pale periwinkle gloves and the second were bare, muscular and blue. Her three lower body parts had three pairs of short and thick legs with darker coloured boots. The gem also had eight pairs of interacting eyes, the two top pairs of eyes being teal whilst the other two pairs were closed, she had a large bulbous nose, wavy, near shoulder-length, fluffy pale turquoise hair with no bangs, and wears a puffy vest which consisted of pinkish-violet, bluish-purple and dark blue which had four sleeve-holes for her arms. The gem also had six gemstones, two on her forehead, three on her chest and a diamond shaped gemstone on her navel. All were coloured purple, sky blue, dark blue, lime, lavender and light blue.

"Dude...that is pretty creepy." Zach whispered to Peridot in fear as he backed up. "I know right? This is nothing like homeworld gems should be." Peridot squeaked in terror. The duo ran away from the gem and hid behind Topaz, causing Nora to laugh. "It's ok Zach, she won't hurt you." The young girl said with reassurance. "Oh...right." Zach said in realisation as the huge gem approached Steven and his group. "They...don't...look...like...gems." She said, inspecting the group.

"That's what I said." The right Rutile said in a lighter tone. "I said the same thing." The left Rutile added with a smile. "Hi, I'm Steven. I'm a Gem. Well, half-Gem really. Anyways, this is Connie, Nora and Zach. They're all human. And then there's Peridot, a genius gem, Topaz, a huge friendly fusion and Leggy, who's a Ruby." Steven said, introducing his friends to the fusion as Zach waved with a nervous smile, Connie shaking one the gem's hands and Nora looking in amazement.

"That's...why...you...all...look...so...unusual." The huge gem said. " _We_ look unusual?!" Zach asked in confusion, trying to say something after that, but was cut off by Rhodonite. "Of course you guys do. You can't walk around on the surface like that! You're off-color, just like the rest of us." The gem said in a serious tone. "Um...what do you mean by...off-colour?" Nora asked in concern. "You know, wrong." The right Rutile spoke. "Not...right." The left added soon after. "Flawed." The right head spoke once again.

"Homeworld doesn't take off-colors lightly you guys, like defective, useless or misshapen gems." Peridot explained as she wiped her visor. "But Peridot...I don't see anything wrong with these gems." Steven insisted in surprise. "Yeah, why would anyone say mean stuff about them?" Connie asked sadly.

"Gems...like...us...aren't...needed." The huge gem spoke before looking over in the direction of Padparadscha. "Padparadscha...can...only...predict...things...that...just...happened." She continued. "Here comes Fluorite!" Padparadscha said after looking in the direction of the gem, who she revealed to be Fluorite.

"And a fusion like me...is unforgivable. When my-our Morganite found out, let's just say...we were replaced." Rhodonite explained sadly in shame. "And judging from the two gems, you're a fusion between a Ruby and a Pearl, correct?" Topaz asked after noticing the two gemstones on Rhodonite. "Yes, it's true. But my story's nothin'! I mean, Fluorite, how many gems are you now?" Rhodonite asked Fluorite with a sudden change of attitude.

"Six. Maybe...more, if...we...meet...the...right...Gem." Fluorite spoke, revealing the number of gemstones that she possessed. "Maybe it's best if you stick to-" Peridot started rudely, but was thankfully cut off by Leggy who hit her in the elbow to shut her up.

"And then there's us." Rutile's right head spoke. "Hang on...us? As in, the two of you clods?" Peridot asked in shock, causing the two twins to nod. "You mean, you're not a fusion?" Steven asked in confusion. "Or like any of the fusion experiments from homeworld?" Peridot added in a similar amount of confusion.

"We're just a Rutile that came out wrong. We survived because...all the other Rutiles ran away, when we emerged." Rutile's left head spoke. "We survived...because they were afraid of us." The right head explained sadly. "Woah...I can definitely relate that." Zach said, recalling several moments where he'd be afraid.

"So...say if some of the gems on the surface found you guys...what would happen?" Nora asked with concern. "We'll be..." Rutile's left head started before looking to her twin in concern. "Shattered." Padparadscha finished. "Woah...now I know how all those cluster gems felt." Steven said quietly to Connie who nodded.

Topaz was about to speak, but she then heard a noise which gained her attention. "Uh, you guys...do you hear that?" The yellow fusion asked nervously. "Oh no, no!" The Rutile Twins said in fear, even Fluorite was worried by this. The whole group looked to see a red light from that robonoid before was entering their cave.

"You _were_ followed! They're gonna find us! They're gonna break us!" Rhodonite exclaimed in absolute fear. "This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!" Peridot squeaked in terror. "Oh crud! This is our fault! Man, if you guys weren't there for us, you'd have been fine!" Zach said, feeling irresponsible.

"Zach, don't blame yourself, they did this for us." Steven said with a little bit of reassurance. "Besides, we couldn't just leave you there." Rutile's left head spoke. "We had to do something." The right head added right afterwards. "But what are we gonna do now, Steven?!" Leggy asked in fear.

"Everyone hide!" Steven said as three Robonoids entered the cave. The Rutiles ran first and Rhodonite followed soon after once she picked up Padparadscha. "Careful everyone, we're about to be found!" The cute sapphire spoke as Fluorite ran to hide. "Do you think you could have said that sooner you little orange clod?!" Peridot groaned in annoyance as she ran to hide with Leggy.

Zach took Connie to hide, especially when Connie pulled out her sword to fight, just in case, whilst Steven took Nora and kept her hidden, seeing as how she was his responsibility. The robonoids then began to scan the entire kindergarten for any defective gems. Fluorite was able to avoid being scanned by circling a stone spire carefully.

Steven and Nora regrouped with Connie and Zach when they hid in another exit hole. Nora was freaking out about being discovered and hurt, she was even on the verge of tears at this point. She would have given the gang away, but thankfully her brother and Zach were both there for her. "Nora...it's ok to be afraid." Steven said with reassurance as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I know you're been through scary moments, but you're braver than you believe." Zach added with a confident smile.

That confidence was enough for Nora to get her senses back and smile it off. "You're right." She said with a firm nod. At that moment, the four kids peaked around the corner to see two robonoids scanning a few holes and closing in on the one the Rutile Twins were hiding in.

The two twins gasped in fright, feeling like they were going to be shattered. Rhodonite gasped in horror, covering both her eyes and Padparadscha's eyes, even Fluorite and Topaz were watching this in panic. "Oh no!" Steven whispered in a panic. "I'm not standing by while this happens!" Nora said before rushing to help the twins as she constructed two pink polygonal gauntlets. "Neither am I!" Zach said firmly, preparing to use The Hive Mind as he and Nora rushed to help those poor girls.

"Nora, come back!" Steven pleaded, but Nora ignored him. "Zach, you'll get yourself killed!" Connie yelped in panic, but Zach didn't even listen. The two twins were scared to death and it felt like they were about to get shattered...but then Zach quickly shoved the one of the robonoids away magically with the Hive Mind and Nora threw the polygonal gauntlet at the other one, causing both drones to notice the two kids.

The Rutiles were relieved, but were now concerned about the two kids who saved their gem. "Nora!" "Zach!" Steven and Connie yelped in fright, as the two drones scanned the two kids. "It's ok to be afraid Nora...just keep still and hold my hand." Zach said, keeping calm whilst holding Nora's hand tightly.

The robonoids then finished scanning and began to look elsewhere for gems. "I knew it." Zach said in relief. "Knew what?" Nora asked in confusion. "They were trying to scan us for a gem, and since neither of us have one, we're practically can't see us." Zach explained, making Nora, her brother and Connie realise this in amazement.

"Then I guess the tables have turned." Peridot called out triumphantly, appearing above the hole Steven and Connie were in before she and Leggy jumped down to help. "Yep, they certainly have." Nora added with a smile, oblivious to Padparadscha approaching her from behind.

"Humans Zach and Nora, I've been possessed by the most marvellous vision!" The orange sapphire spoke, startling Zach and Nora at the same time. It was even worse for Rhodonite who noticed Paddy was missing. "You, humans Zach and Nora, are gemless, and will be safe from the Robonoids, which target gems." Padparadscha explained with delight, oblivious to the robonoid scanning her own gem thanks to her delayed future vision.

The robonoid attempted to fire it's laser, but thankfully, Leggy became a hero and kicked the drone away, knocking it back and causing it to fire it's laser at the wall, causing it to explode and making rubble fall.

Boy was it lucky that Leggy saved the sapphire, and even Topaz protected Steven, Connie, Nora, Zach and Peridot from the rubble above. "Wow...I feel like I'm doing something right for the first time in my life." Leggy said with a gasp. "Oh my, thank you for saving me dear Leggy." Padparadscha said, hugging the Ruby with delight.

"Hey, save the mushy love until later, we've got the last couple of robonoid to take care of." Peridot pointed out, separating the two gems as she pointed out three Robonoids. Thankfully Steven was there with his shield, but it was no use when they scanned the gems of himself, Padparadscha, Leggy and Peridot.

Topaz then summoned her pugil mace and used it against the robonoids where she hit two of them away, but she missed the third one which dodged her and went after Steven and the others. "Guys, look out!" Topaz said in panic before the Robonoid fired it's laser.

Surprisingly, Steven's shield managed to reflect a blast and redirected it towards one of the other robonoids, narrowly missing Topaz's gems, and destroyed the two robonoids that Topaz hit. "Sorry Topaz." Steven said sheepishly. "No problem, but good move you pulled there." The yellow fusion said with reassurance.

The third robonoid then appeared out of the debris and tried to shoot at Padparadcha, but thankfully, Peridot and Steven were able to block the attack with Steven's shield and Peridot's newfound boomerang/visor weapon. "Oh, the shield is reflective!" Padparadscha said in amazement. "Obviously you...wait...why _is_ the shield reflective?" Peridot asked, annoyed at Padparadcha, but then thought about the shield.

"Padparadscha, come back, hide!" Rhodonite pleaded in fear, causing the Robonoid to turn in her direction before going over to her and attempting to scan for her gems. Thankfully, Connie and Zach were quick enough to cover Rhodonite's gems.

"Alright you little machine...you wanna play rough, then let's play rough!" Zach yelled before jumping onto the robonoid along with Connie, who managed to pull out her sword to hit the machine on the sensor. Zach also tried to sabotage it's flight pattern, but it only triggered the laser within it.

Thankfully though, the laser missed everyone, but the Robonoid nearly hit Padparadscha, which really angered Leggy enough to jump up onto the drone to attack it head on. "My name is...Ruby 1 Facet 8 Cut-4NK. You tried to hurt my clarity, prepare to die!" Leggy said firmly before ramming her leg weapon straight into the Robonoid's blaster, causing it to explode, sending Connie and Zach, flying into the pillar behind them before they fell to the floor and nearly hurt themselves, but thankfully, Nora was there to catch them with her constructs.

The blast also sending Leggy's gem flying back after poofing, but then...her gem cracked before falling to the floor, horrifying Topaz and Peridot who caught the two pieces. "Guys!" Steven yelped before running over to his friends along with Peridot, Nora and Topaz, although...something didn't feel right. "C-Connie?" Steven asked after turning his friend over who wasn't moving.

"I didn't think we were gonna make it!" "That was amazing! You guys were so amazing! Zach, that was absolutely great!" The Off-Colors, mainly Rhodonite and the Rutile Twins said in amazement, oblivious to the fact that they didn't know who was probably dead. "We're winning! We're winning!" Padparadscha said with excitement, annoying Some of the others in the process.

"Connie...Connie please." Steven begged, but Connie didn't move an inch. "Connie, please, wake up!" After begging once more, Steven tried listening for Connie's heartbeat, at first he didn't hear anything and assumed the worse, but then he heard her heart going. "Relax bro, I think she's just unconscious." Zach said, feeling a pulse within Connie. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought I'd lost her." Steven said in relief.

"S-Steven...?" Nora called out to her brother. "What is it Nora?" Steven asked in confusion. "Are you ok?" Peridot asked in concern. Nora then held out her two hands to show Leggy's gem and sadly revealed that it had split in two pieces, making the gang sad. "Leggy...no..." Steven said sadly. Nora couldn't even say anything herself and even broke down into tears. "Why did you have to be so brave you clod?!" Peridot cried, trying not to let it overcome her.

"Ugh, are you crying?! That won't save you this time!" A voice spoke, causing everyone to turn towards the entrance to see Jasper waiting there in expectance. "Jasper!" Steven yelped in panic. "I'm not through with you yet you little liar! Not until you tell the truth." The ultimate quartz growled as she approached Steven with a psychotic smile. "Neither am I. I have unfinished business." Drusy Quartz said, suddenly appearing too alongside Bismuth 1SL and Golsmuth. "Oh my goodness!" The right Rutile gasped. "Who are they?!" The Left Rutile asked in shock. "Homeworld Gems! We're done for!" Rhodonite screamed in terror. "Watch out! There will be powerful Homeworld Gems coming this way!" Padparadscha said aloud.

"Well well well...looks like we've found a bunch of Off Colors." Bismuth 1SL said in delight, cracking her knuckles and ready to attack. "Um...I'll be here if anyone needs me." Goldsmuth said sheepishly, waiting outside the cave. "Jasper...I'm honestly not in the mood for your drama right now, just leave us alone!" Steven demanded firmly, but it only lead to the three gems approaching and ready to fight.

"So you're the Bismuth who probably sabotaged the build." Steven said, looking at the Bronze Bismuth with his own eyes. "Indeed I am. Silversmuth told you about me I presume?" Bismuth 1SL said with a wicked grin. "Silversmuth?" Peridot asked in confusion. "The Bismuth with the gemstone on her chest?" The Bronze Bismuth pointed out in annoyance. "Right...why did you do that to Bismuth?" Steven demanded, wanting to know why any bismuth would do such a thing. "That's none of your bismuth, besides...even if I do see Silversmuth, she'll already be too late to save you." After speaking, Bismuth 1SL then attempted to attack but thankfully, Zach then used the hive mind to draw her away from the cave.

"Zach, be careful!" Nora pleaded before she was grabbed by Jasper. "Heh! Well now...if Rose really cares about you, then maybe I'll use you to get answers out of her." Jasper claimed aloud before chuckling. "Let her go!" Topaz demanded in a serious tone, blocking Jasper's way to Steven. "Move it you stupid block. This doesn't concern you." Jasper ordered, trying to get past Topaz, but stopped once more. "It does if you're messing with my friends." Topaz replied firmly.

Jasper then put Nora down before she took on Topaz and tried to lay a hit on her, but was somehow overpowered by the huge yellow fusion. "Heh...I've taken down tougher Crystal Gems than you!" She pointed out, trying to charge at Topaz, but was immediately stopped when the huge fusion grabbed Jasper's hands and slammed her against the wall. Peridot then helped out by covering Jasper's eyes who was blinded for a moment. "Hey off colors, get outta here, we'll handle these clods!" Peridot yelled to the off-colors who looked at each other for a moment. The Rutiles then then joined in the fight after telling the others to hide.

"Don't you ever touch Nora again you fiend!" The two twins spoke in unison before attacking Jasper. The huge quartz tried to punch the defective gem, only for the twins to dodge the incoming fist long enought to make their attack. Jasper was then knocked over by Topaz's pugil mace before she jumped up into the air. "You think this stupid weapon is going to-" Jasper started, but was immediately cut off when Topaz literally slammed her whole body into the ultimate quartz, poofing her in the process. "Phew...thanks for the assist girls." Topaz said to the Rutiles in relief. "You're welcome, that was pretty amazing what you did." Rutile's left head spoke in approval.

Zach on the other hand, tried to fight Bismuth 1SL, but because he was close to the edge of a cliff, it made the fight pretty difficult, even for himself. "Heh, you can't _stand_ being on the edge of certain doom, correct? Hey Goldsmuth, come help me out!" Bismuth 1SL said before turning to Goldsmuth. "Um, I'd rather not get involved Bronzemuth, if that's ok." Goldsmuth said sheepishly.

Annoyed by this, Bronzemuth, as Goldsmuth called her, hit Zach off the edge and sent the teenager tumbling down where he grabbed onto the edge of an exit hole. "Oh no, not good." He said to himself, looking down into the underground. "Heh, oh yes. Do say hello to Pink Diamond for me." Bronzemuth said viciously, trying to break the edge of the cliff to send Zach to his doom. Thankfully, Zach was able to avoid this fate when he used the hive mind to jump onto the ledge beside him, attracting Bronzemuth's attention who tried to pounce on the teenager, but missed. "Rgh, tell her yourself!" Zach yelled, jumping on the Bismuth's back and sending her plummeting down into the old kindergarten, screaming.

"Phew. Note to self: Don't take rock climbing lessons." Zach said to himself before rushing back into the cave to help Nora who was trying to stop Drusy Quartz from kidnapping Connie. "Leave her alone!" Zach called out, picking up Connie's sword and ramming it through the quartz soldier who briefly fell down for a moment, dropping Connie who woke up at that moment. Drusy then got up before yanking the sword from her chest and throwing it to the ground before charging at Steven. "Bro...does this woman ever give up?" Zach asked in shock before running to Connie's side to protect her.

Steven then engaged with Drusy Quartz, trying to stop her. The young boy managed to dodge the first few hits before summoning his shield to defend himself. "I don't understand why you're doing this Drusy! What did you have against my mom? What did she ever do to you?!" Steven asked in anger, but only fueling Drusy's rage. "RGH! I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID ROSE! NOT BECAUSE OF YOU SHATTERING PINK DIAMOND! NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU SAID TO THE CRYSTAL GEMS BEING JUST TALK, IT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID TO ALL OF US!" Drusy roared, punching Steven's shield endlessly with her knuckle dusters until she knocked Steven onto his back and nearly prepared to harm Steven.

However, Nora's squeak of terror is what stopped Drusy from hurting her brother. The star quartz saw the little girl's tearful eyes and immediately let Steven go. "Because of what you...no...because of what...I did...to the others..." Drusy said, calming down before dropping to her knees in sorrow. "Rose isn't who you think she is...her words and all are true...but you never knew her...like I did. I don't expect you to accept what I'm saying...but don't see things for what you think of them." Drusy explained, looking at the two twins with tears forming in her eyes.

"What you did?" Nora asked in concern. "I once thought that she was using me for her own personal gain...but I was blinded by anger...and hurt every gem on Earth. I should have stopped myself from sabotaging the shield...but I made my decision." Drusy explained, revealing about why the shield was reflective. "How did that hurt all those gems on Earth?" Steven asked in confusion.

"I was hoping that the shield would be used to shatter one of the other homeworld gems when I sabotaged it, just like Black Diamond said after she promised me that she wouldn't hurt the other gems...but I was decieved." Drusy explained sadly, revealing to have made a deal with Black Diamond. Steven was shocked by this, but he understood what the quartz was going through. Somehow Nora comforted Drusy despite her crimes against the Crystal Gems. "You couldn't have known Drusy...I know you did something horrible that you regret...but nobody could predict this outcome." Nora said with a soft smile.

Steven then joined in, saying something that probably helped Drusy. "I'm not my mom...but I'm sure she didn't want to hurt you on purpose. I think you were trying to keep us safe, from the Diamonds. If the others were here, I'm sure they'd understand why you did whatever you did." Steven said, really unsure what he was talking about, but it managed to put a smile on Drusy's face. "Heh, then I suppose that I misjudged you too harshly then...Steven." Drusy said with a smile of acceptance before her whole body poofed, leaving only her gemstone and a single Star Crystal behind. "Is it over...?" Rhodonite asked, peaking around one of the pillars along with the other off-colors.

"Y-Yeah. It's over..." Topaz said, walking to the kids along with Peridot and the twins, holding up Jasper's gemstone in her yellow bubble as proof, which allowed the defective gems to regroup with the others. Steven then picked up Drusy's gemstone. "Steven...what's going on?" Connie asked, rubbing her head as she came up to her friend. "Jasper ambushed us, we managed to defeat her and the other gems." Steven explained, holding out Drusy's gemstone. "Also...I may have accidently knocked you out when that Robonoid blew up." Zach said sheepishly, expecting Connie to hit him, but Connie said she didn't feel him hitting her when she got knocked out.

"Wait...where's Leggy?" Connie asked in confusion, noticing that Leggy was nowhere in sight. "She sacrificed herself to save us." Nora cried, showing the two halves of Leggy's broken gemstone, causing Connie to gasp and hug her friend. "Leggy...I'm so sorry. I couldn't save you..." Steven said, his voice filled with Sorrow and regret. He then cried as his tears fell onto Leggy's gemstone. The others were pretty sad about this too, even Padparadscha. At that moment however, the combination of his healing tears and the Star Crystal from Drusy, having floated over to Steven, mixed and merging the two halves of Leggy's gemstone, fixing it in the process as the ruby regenerated.

However, Leggy's form didn't turn back into it's normal state, instead...it began to glow a bright pink colour, even making her gemstone a different colour along with placing a star upon it. Leggy then re-emerged and landed on the ground before looking up at her friends. She now had a different uniform, her hair was different along with her skin and her gem now had a star upon it. "Did we win?" Leggy asked in confusion.

"Oh my. Something incredible is going to happen to Leggy." Padparadscha said in amazement. In the process, she somehow managed to annoy Peridot with her ability. "Ugh, you should have said that sooner." She grumbled in annoyance.

* * *

 **Yep ^^**

 **And now you know how Starby came to be.**

 **So now that this chapter is out of the way, there's only one left**

 **Stay tuned and I'll get the next chapter out in no time**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	20. Nora's Hair

**Well, here we are you guys.**

 **The final chapter of AOTG2**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 **Nora's Hair**

"Leggy! You're ok!" Nora squeaked in delight, hugging the ruby in relief after she had her gemstone repaired by Steven. "Oh, thanks for caring...but...what exactly happened?" Leggy asked in confusion. "You saved us. You stopped the last Robonoid, but...then one of them exploded, and I thought Connie died at first, but then-then your gemstone was broken, and Nora and I started crying." Steven cried along with Nora before being hugged by the ruby.

"Hey, nothing happened. I promise. Wait...what did I miss?" Leggy asked in confusion, but wasn't able to get an answer because of Peridot. "Wait...oh my stars!" The green gem gasped in realisation.

"What is it Peridot?" Zach asked in confusion. "Steven's healing tears must have fixed Leggy's gemstone along with that Star Crystal. I mean, it floated over and overpowered the gemstone pieces, so...you brought Leggy back to life?" Peridot pointed out before realising that the combination between a star crystal and healing tears was a positive result for other gems.

"So...I was...away from life? Whatever that is?" Leggy asked in confusion. "Yes...although...you don't look like a normal ruby anymore." Peridot pointed out. "What do you mean I don't look like a normal ruby?" Leggy asked in confusion. "Um...wiggle your touch stumps and you'll find out." Peridot said, showing the ruby what to do.

"Are you playing a trick on me? Because if you are, I'm-" Leggy started before noticing her hand and gasped in fright. "It can't be!" She said before looking at her reflection in a Mirror that Nora had brought with her. The ruby was stunned to see that her original appearance was no more and that she was a pinkish red. "Woah! I'm...not myself anymore?!" Leggy pointed out in shock. "She's not a ruby, she's a Star Ruby." Topaz said in awe. "Drusy must have left that crystal for me to save you." Connie realised with a smile. "Well...I guess that quartz soldier did the right thing after all." Zach pointed out despite the crimes that gem had caused.

Before anyone could relax however, more shattering robonoids were heard in the distance. "They're back! Those shattering Robonoisd are back!" Rhodonite yelped in fright. "I don't think we can survive another round with those drones." Topaz said in concern. "Quickly, Block. The. Entrance." Fluorite said before Rhodonite and the twins ran to close the door along with Topaz and Zach. "Leggy, you stay here and rest. Girls, look after her please." Steven said before following the gems along with Peridot.

"Are you alright Connie?" Nora asked in concern for her friend. "I'm alright Nora, I'm not hurt that much." Connie said with a smile. "I predict Leggy's gemstone will be fixed, but she'll change in hue. What a mystery! Thank you for saving me Leggy!" Padparadscha said in excitement. "Uh, you're welcome." Leggy said, hugging the sapphire in the process.

The Rutiles and Rhodonite were the first to reach a boulder and began to push it towards the entrance but were having trouble. Topaz then pushed the rock with a much greater strength along with Steven. "Woah." "Strong." The Rutiles said in amazement. "Yep! That's how strong Topazes are on Homeworld!" Topaz groaned before giving the boulder everything she had.

* * *

Outside the cave however

Goldsmuth was looking for Bronzemuth, but couldn't find her anywhere. It was then that she noticed that the cave's entrance was closing, causing her to quickly attempt to reach the cave before it closed.

"Hey! Stop! Don't leave me ou-" Goldsmuth started, but was cut off when the entrance to the cave was fully blocked with no way for her to get in thanks to it being stuck in the entrance. "Oh...this not good." She said to herself nervously. "Oooh what will I tell Hessonite, I hope they don't break me for this." Thinking that thought made Goldsmuth jump in fear as her robonoids came along.

* * *

Back inside the Cave

The gems had finished blocking the entrance, but were worried about it not being enough. "Is this gonna be enough?" Rhodonite asked in fear. "Only one way to find out." Topaz said with uncertainty. The robonoids were head from outdside, scanning the rock before moving on.

"Phew...that was close." Peridot said in relief. "They...Seem...to...have...overlooked...us...for...the...time...being." Fluorite said as she came over to the gang along with Nora, Connie, Padparadscha and Leggy. "Quickly, block the entrance!" Padparadscha said, still being delayed as usual. "Ugh...why do I even bother answering her?" Peridot grumbled.

"Welcome to my world." Rhodonite pointed out. "Guys, that's not the problem. As long as I'm here, along with Topaz, Peridot and Leggy, they're gonna keep coming after us." Steven pointed out. "It's true. This was a horrible plan." Rhodonite pointed out. "Would it be a good idea to move to a different hiding spot?" Zach asked as he put the hive mind back in his pocket.

"No, no, no! If we leave this cavern, we'll be completely exposed." Rhodonite said in a panic. "But. If. We. Stay. Here. They'll. Find us. For. Sure." Fluorite then said. "So, we either stay here and get caught..." Rutile's left head spoke. "Or we go out there and get caught." Her left head spoke.

Neither one of the twins were positive about this situation, but their minds were then taken off by Leggy, who was flying around the whole kindergarten cave at a fast pace. "Woah...so basically, I'm a permanent Star Ruby?" Leggy asked as she flew to the others and showed them that she was flying with the help of pink wings from her back. "Woah...well, it must wear off sometime. It was the effects of the Star Crystal and my healing tears. I've healed people in the past, and gems too, but I've never fixed a broken gemstone before." Steven explained, not even sure himself.

"Wow...I've got new powers, fire ball attacks, super flight speed, I love being like this! Thank you so much Steven!" Leggy said, showing off a few of her many powers before hugging Steven. "You're welcome...?" Steven replied with a bit of an awkward chuckle. "Bro...at least she's not a zombie." Zach joked, getting a few laughs from Connie and Nora.

"Thank the stars she's alright." Rutile's right head said in relief. "What's a zombie?" Her left head asked in confusion. "I can't believe gems can change color like this." Rhodonite said in surprise. "Not usually they don't." Peridot pointed out. "Yeah bro, humans can't change color, Well, unless you get really cold and turn blue, or red if you get embarrassed." Zach explained from how colors on humans usually worked.

"So what does this mean? Leggy turning Pink? Will she explode or something?" Rhodonite asked in fear. "Well she does have those pink powers." Topaz pointed out. "They're the natural abilities of a star ruby." Peridot added.

"Maybe after being poofed next time, Leggy will reform with her original self." Rutile's right head spoke positively, thinking it wasn't a permanent power. "I'm. Sure. Whatever. Color. Leggy Chooses. Will Be Lovely." Fluorite spoke with approval.

"Anyways, Nora, are you ok?" Steven asked, suddenly realising that his sister was still with him and the gang. "Er, yes." Nora said sheepishly. "Do you have any injuries?" Steven asked, checking to make sure nothing was broken. "Not that I know of." Nora replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable with endless questions. "Are you feeling anything bad at all?!" Steven asked in panic. "Steven, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Nora replied with insistance.

"Oh good. How about you Connie? Feeling ok?" Steven said, directing his attention to Connie. "Y-Yeah...I hit my head on a rock, but I'm fine." Connie said, rubbing her arm. "Steven was worried that you might have died, even I was worried at first, but I think you'll be fine now." Zach said, explaining that Steven was worried for her sake. "Guys... I'm fine. But thanks for the concern. I'm just...so sick of being stuck on this planet, I wish we were safely back home." Connie admitted, feeling a bit homesick. "Me too...I really want to see Dad so I can tell him I'm ok." Nora added sadly. "Hey, we're going to get home Nora. I promise." Steven said as he proceeded to stroke his sister's hair. However, when he touched her hair, it began to glow.

"Wha?! What was that?!" Nora squeaked in fright. "What happened?!" "What's going on?!" "Is Nora sick?!" Topaz, Zach and Peridot yelped in fright, continuously asking questions before Steven stopped them. "Shut up!" He yelled before turning towards Nora. "Y-You could see that...right?" Nora asked in fright.

"Y-Yeah." Steven responded sheepishly. "T-Try it again." Nora requested, allowing Steven to touch his sister's hair once more. Steven's finger then went right through the hair as the spot glowed, this was a familiar set of magic, just like...Lion.

"M-My hair's never done that before." Nora admitted, touching her own hair, but nothing was happening when she did it. "Steven...is that...?" Connie said in realisation. "What's happening?" Zach asked in confusion. "I know this. Nora, there's something I can try, but I'm afraid of doing it because then I'll be in your hair." Steven explained to his own sister. "Are you planning on messing up my hair?" Nora asked nervously. "No. It's a bit more literal when I say that." Steven explained sheepishly.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Nora asked in confusion. "Nah, forget it. It's nothing." Steven said, backing away a little, but stopped when Nora grabbed his hand. "Steven, I'm your sister. Whatever your plan is, I trust you. But, I need a bit of help on what to do, especially now that I've got magic hair, so can you help me out please?" Nora said before asking sheepishly.

Steven then nodded before speaking to the rest of the gems in the kindergarten. "Everyone stand back, I might need a bit of room." He said, allowing Rhodonite, Peridot and the twins to take a few steps back. Padparadscha did the same thing after a brief pause. "Alright Nora, I need you to untie your hair for me and then bend down, is that ok?" Steven requested before Nora nodded.

The young girl then untied her hair, allowing it to fall before she kneeling. "Ok, now what?" Nora asked in confusion. "Now you may feel a slight foot in your hair." Steven said. "Uh, what do you-" Nora started, but was cut off by when Steven stuck his foot in Nora's hair, causing her to whimper a little and causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

"What's happening?! They're fusing! They're fusing, right?" Rhodonite said in fear before getting a little confused. "Steven, do you think...?" Connie asked, immediately being cut off when Steven nodded. "Yeah Connie, but there's only one way to find out." He said before turning back to Nora. "You're doing great Nora." Steven said, gently holding Nora's hand to comfort her.

"R-Right..." Nora said sheepishly as her own brother climbed inside her hair. Steven then took a deep breath before disappearing from view.

* * *

In a familiar dimension

Steven popped his head out from the pink grass where he saw a huge pink oak tree upon a small hill.

The young boy then spotted another hill in the distance before walking towards it and immediately recognising it instantly: It was the tree where Rose's belongsings were, her battle flag, her shirt from his dad and the chest.

Before exiting the pocket dimension, Steven briefly glanced back at the other tree before doing so.

* * *

Beach House

Back on Earth

Steven then popped his head out of Lion's mane, waking him up in the process before he found himself looking upon a familiar sight. He was actually in his own home back on Earth. "I'm home. I'm home!" Steven said, the first time to himself, the next, aloud. However, the place was empty, nobody was around, not Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl, Imperia or even Purity.

"Guys? Hmm...where are they?" The young boy wondered to himself before he then noticed a familiar gemstone, lying dorment on the coffee table. It was Bismuth's gemstone. Before he was knocked out by Jasper earlier, the young boy managed to throw her gemstone off Aquamarine's ship. "Glad to see you're still in one piece Bismuth." Steven said, stroking the gemstone in the process and wondering why it was taking her too long to regenerate.

Steven then took notice to a cup on the kitchen counter, and one thing came to mind. "Water!" He yelped before quickly filling a cup with thirst and drinking it. He then filled it up again and drank before sighing in relief. Steven then felt his stomach rumbling, which could only mean one thing.

"Food." He said to himself before grabbing some bread, peanut butter and jelly to make up a peanut butter jelly sandwich and eating it with delight filling up inside him. "Life is beautiful!" Steven said as tears came flowing from his eyes.

After that, the young boy then began to pack food and drinks into a couple of paper bags for the gang to eat. "Ok, gotta bring food back to the others. Man...I wish I could tell everyone I'm ok. I should have left Nora home." Steven said to himself sadly before being met by Lion who looked at him, pretty much understanding what the young boy was going through.

Steven then realised something that Purity had told him before. His healing tears could also resurect the dead, and it even worked on Lion. "Lion...so you were-" He started, but stopped when he thought about it too much. "Gosh, there's so much I want to ask you. If only you could talk." Steven said before Lion kneeled to allow him to go back to the kindergarten.

"Thanks buddy. I'll get Nora home somehow." Steven said as he placed his hand into Lion's mane.

* * *

Back in the kindergarten.

The gang were waiting for Steven for a few minutes. All the while however, Peridot was doing a few tests on Starby on her powers before looking at Nora's hair. Before Peridot could even do the first test, Steven emerged from his sister's hair, causing the two to lose balance and fall on top of Peridot.

"Ow! What am I a landing pack?!" The green gem grumbled in annoyance before Steven got up along with Nora. "Sorry about that." Steven apologised, rubbing his head with a chuckle. "Steven, what happened? What was inside my hair?" Nora then asked. "Home." Steven responded, gaining the gang's attentio. "W-What do you mean?" Peridot asked before Nora could ask.

"Everyone, I've made an amazing discovery! I just travelled back to Planet Earth by going through my Sister's hair." Steven explained through everyone. "I knew it! Her hair is similar to Lion's mane. Nice going Steven." Connie said in realisation before hugging Steven. "Eh, it's nothing." Steven replied with a blush.

"You got back to Earth? Is it like some kind of magic portal?!" Nora asked, freaking out in the process. "No, it's way more simpler than that Nora. You know Lion? He belonged to my mom when she was still around, and it turns out I can go into his mane, and he transports us to a magical dimension where my mom kept a bunch of artifacts on a hill with a tree, even Bismuth, and for some reason, none of us could breathe in there. But anyway, when I went into your hair, I got transported to the same magical dimension, but it was a new part of it, but since the two are connected, I could reach the portal that leads out of Lion's mane, which is back on Earth!" Steven explained to everyone.

"Nice one bro! I'll finally be able to tell Lars that I'm ok!" Zach said in relief. "Ha, those clods will never suspect that we've gone back to Earth!" Peridot said in triumph. All of a sudden, both Connie's and Zach's stomachs growled. "Oh, you guys must be hungry, here I brought food back." Steven said before handing Connie and Zach a couple of sandwiches which they took.

"Here you go Nora." Steven then said, giving Nora a sandwich. "Um...I'm not feeling hungry right now." Nora admitted sheepishly. "Nora, you need to keep your strength up. Hmm...maybe you eat magic lizards like Lion. Do you want me to get some Lizards." Steven asked, making Nora a bit uncomfortable.

"Ew, I don't even like lizards, or slugs." Nora responded in disgust. "Then at least eat something, you haven't eaten in a couple of days." Steven insisted, causing Nora to eventually take the sandwich and eat it. "You're pretty insistant when it comes to Nora, aren't you Steven?" Topaz said with facination. "Yeah...I made a promise to my dad that I'd take care of Nora. I've helped her so far and I don't intend to break that promise." Steven explained.

All the while, Rhodonite picked up one of the juice boxes that was in one of the paper bags that Steven had brought. "What is this box?" The fusion asked in confusion. "It's juce." Steven said to Rhodonite. "Yeah, we usually drink it back on Earth all the time." Connie added.

"What?" "That's impossible." "Earth?" "There's no way." "Uh-uh." Rhodonite and the Twins said in surprise. "Steven's back." Padparadscha suddenly said. "That can't be." Rutile's right head spoke in shock. "I'm incredulous." The left head then added. "Uh, why can't it be?" Zach asked in confusion.

"Everyone knows...that the Earth..." Fluorite started, but was cut off by Rhodonite. "Was decimated by the Diamond attack. Sorry." She said before apologising to Fluorite. "Hey! It's not like that you clods!" "Yeah, but without the clod part. The Diamonds did attack, but there are still Gems living on Earth, and the planet's full of life." Steven explained before holding up a bag of Chaaaaps.

"It grew the potatoes that became these chips." Steven went on before holding up a sandwich. "and it even grew the wheat that eventually became the flour that eventually became the bread that eventually became this sandwich!" After hearing this, the two twins got confused. "Sand...wich?" They asked.

"But why would Gems still live there?" Rhodonite asked in confusion. "Because the Earth is a place where we can be ourselves." Steven explained as his sister came up beside him. "Yeah, we can live freely without having to hide who we are." Nora explained with a smile. "Live freely? Without having to hide at all?" The Rutiles asked in excitement. "That. Sounds. Wonderful." Fluorite said in approval. "It is. And now we have this portal, so we can all go on through there." Peridot said in triumph.

"Then let's get going then." Topaz said, starting to go into Nora's hair, but was stopped by Zach. "Uh, bro...how exactly are we going to get Nora back to Earth through her own hair?" Zach asked, making a good point and causing Nora to gasp a little. "Um...we'd better find out how." Steven said sheepishly.

* * *

Moments later.

Peridot and Leggy tried to pull Nora's arm and the rest of her body into the dimension, but it was extremely hard. Steven saw the problem along with Connie and Zach, especially when Nora was yelping in Pain. "Guys stop! You're gonna break her elbow!" Steven insited before the two gems exited Nora's hair. "Right...let's hang on until we figure out how to get home with Nora." Zach said before coming up with a few ideas.

"Can we build a portal with Peridot's help?" Zach suggested. "I don't have the materials I need you clod." Peridot pointed out in annoyance. "Use an escape pod from Aquamarine's ship?" Zach suggested again. "You blew up her ship, remember?" Topaz said with a deadpanned expression. "Use Leggy's super flight ability to get home?" Zach suggested once more. "Humans can't breath in space." Connie reminded him. "Plus, I couldn't hold everyone. And it's Starby now." Leggy said, changing her name to Starby.

"Oh come on, there's gotta be something we can do!" Zach said, feeling like he was going to lose it again. "Well...there is one way." Nora spoke up, gaining the gang's attention. "What way?" Topaz asked with concern. It took a moment for Nora to answer, but in the end she decided to speak up. "You could all leave me behind. I mean, go through my hair and back to Earth." She said softly. "WHAT?!" Steven and the others, apart from Connie yelled in absolute in shock. "As in: Leave you behind on homeworld?!" Zach asked in absolute fright. "What are you crazy?!" Peridot squeaked in terror.

"No! Nora that's not the only way!" Steven said in a panic, not wanting to abandon his own sister. Even Topaz and Zach agreed. "But if we don't go through Nora's hair, we'll never get home." Connie pointed out to the gang, making a strong argument about leaving Nora. "Please, it's ok. I can handle myself and I'm thinking more about you all. Don't waste a chance like this." Nora said, insisting the gang and the off colors leave her.

"Well, if you insist." Rhodonite said, walking towards Nora, but suddenly being stopped by Rutile's left twin. "We. Won't. Do it. Not. If. It. Means. Leaving. You. Behind. Nora." Fluorite insisted firmly. "Please, I'm doing this for everyone. Why not?" Nora said in shock.

"We. Know. This. Planet. We've. Been. Hiding. In. These Tunnels. For. Eons. You'll. Need Us. To. Help. You. Get. Around. Besides, us. Off-Colors. Have. To. Stick. Together." Fluorite explained to Nora, causing the young girl to look at her hair in agreement. "We'll get to Earth another way." Rutile's right head spoke with reassurance. "We'll find an alternate route." Her left head spoke.

"But you guys have to go back." Nora said, pointing to her brother, Zach, Connie, Peridot, Starby and Topaz. "Nora, no! I'm not going to leave you behind! You could starve to death, o-or get an infection or even die! " Steven said, tearing up at the thought of losing his sister. "Steven, what's more important, getting home or your sister?" Connie asked in annoyance and disbelief, pretty annoyed about the fact that Steven refused to let Nora go. "Steven...I'll be alright. I promise." Nora said, holding Steven's hand, causing him to turn to his sister's face.

Looking at Nora in the eyes with her sweet smile was the last straw for Steven. Brokenhearted by there not being another way, he immediately cried before hugging his sister who gently hugged him back. "But I promised I'd get you home. I promised to stick with you. I don't want to break that promise." Steven insisted, trying to think of another way, but couldn't because of the thought about breaking his promise that he made to his father. "You can't keep every promise. Even if you really wanted to, it would be impossible." Nora said soothingly. "But Dad-" Steven started, but Nora finished the sentence for him. "-Will understand Steven." Nora explained.

It didn't help, especially when Steven turned away. "Listen Steven...if those scary ladies are trying to get you, then I can't let them find you. You'll be safer back home." Nora said to her own brother. "But Nora-" Steven started, but was cut off. "Besides...You're the one who helped me out of my shell, we've been together since the first time in fourteen years. It's because of you that I was able to help you out. You were always helping me." Nora insisted, making a good point. "So just this once...let me help you, please." She added.

At first, Steven was hesitant, but then nodded in agreement. "Ok. I'll tell dad what you did for us Nora. I'll tell everyone what you did for us." Steven said with a smile. "I wasn't just doing it for them, I was doing this for mom too. She wanted me to keep you safe, and that's what I want to do." Nora said, revealing that her promise was similar to her father's.

"You're the best brother I could ever ask for." Nora said tearfully despite her smile. "I know I haven't seen you since birth, but you're the best of all of us Nora. We'll bring you something if you need it." Steven said, giving Nora a lot of confidence. "Keep her safe for me, ok guys?" Steven said to the Off-colors, handing his job of looking after Nora over to them. "We. Will." Fluorite said with a smile. "You can count on us Steven." The Rutiles said in confidence. "We can't leave without Nora." Padparadscha said, finally speaking up. "We'll see you on Earth, I hope. No, no, no. We will!" Rhodonite said with confidence. Nora then untied her hair and allowed the gang to go through her hair, one at a time.

"Thank you for saving me Nora, thanks...from both of us." Topaz said with a kind smile, hugging the little girl before shapeshifting to Steven's size and going through Nora's hair. Zach went next as he placed a hand on Nora's shoulder. "I'll do your homeworld for you, if you need it done." He said with a smile, causing Nora to giggle before he went through her hair.

"You're one brave little clod. I'll give you that. Don't do anything I would do." Peridot said before she and Starby entered her hair. "I won't." Nora managed to say before turning towards her brother. "Are you sure you're going to be ok without me? It'll be scary..." Steven asked, really hoping that Nora wouldn't be frightened like she used to be before she met her brother. "Don't worry about me. Besides, I'll have this guy to look after me or remind me of home." Nora said, revealing the Prism of Light in her bag. "The Prism of Light...you took it." Steven said in disbelief. "Yeah...I took it from Hessonite when she wasn't looking." Nora said sheepishly.

"Well...whatever the case, see you when you get back." Steven said, trying to pull himself together before going through his sister's hair. Although, before Connie could join, she stopped for a brief moment before speaking to her friend. "Steven isn't going to recover from this." She pointed out with concern. "He'll understand Connie. It may take a while, maybe a few weeks, but he _will_ get better. Please look after him for me." Nora requested before being hugged by Connie. "I will Nora. Stay safe." She replied before entering her friend's hair.

* * *

Back in Steven's home.

The gang exited Lion's mane, where they found themselves back in Steven's home, but while some of them were calm about being home, the rest were heavily impacted by Nora's decision. "Bro...this is heavy. I can't believe we just left Nora behind. I feel so ashamed." Zach admitted shamefully, lowing his head. "It's not just you Zach." Steven pointed out, showing that he was also affected by Nora's decision. "We'll get her back, I promise." Peridot said with reassurance.

Bismuth's gemstone then began to glow as it floated away from the table and in front of Steven and the others. Bismuth then regenerated and fell to the floor. Her appearance had changed since she was poofed on Aquamarine's ship. She now wore a black backless and strapless top with a square cutout to reveal her gem in the middle. She also wore a long light red attachment with a light and dark red apron under it, she also had a light red belt around them with a light pink star, tilted on it.

"STEVEN! Don't worry, I've got your back, I'm gonna-" The rainbow gem started, only to be cut off when she noticed that she was back in Steven's home before seeing the gang in front of her. "Hey Bismuth, glad you're ok." Steven said in relief. "Uh...did I miss anything?" Bismuth asked in confusion before noticing Topaz who waved sheepishly to the rainbow gem. "You! Steven, what is she doing here?!" Bismuth asked, demanding to know what Topaz was doing in the temple before trying to attack her. "Bismuth wait, she's not dangerous anymore!" Connie insisted, preventing the Rainbow gem from doing harm.

"W-What do you mean?" Bismuth asked in confusion as she calmed down. "I'm saying, I changed sides, and so has this Ruby." Topaz explained as she pointed out Starby. "Hey. Starby. I haven't seen you since-" Bismuth started, but was cut off when Peridot told her that Starby was from the future and that the Starby in front was from the past. Before anyone could say anything else however, the warp pad activated and warped in, Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl, Greg, Lars and Sadie. Imperia and Purity were also with them. Purity was also the first to take notice to Steven, her gemstone now healed thanks to Rose's fountain fron the looks of it.

"This is hopeless!" Pearl said as she stepped off the warp pad, attracting the gang's attention. "We'll never get that dropship to fly." Pearl continued, pacing around. "Pearl...?" Steven asked in concern, but Pearl couldn't hear him over her pacing and talking to herself. "We're losing time!" Hearing this, Bismuth couldn't help but snicker at Pearl being oblivious. "Pearl?" She chuckled. "They've probably put Connie and Zach in the zoo." Pearl spoke before she was suddenly interrupted by Lars who ran over to the gem and shook her about.

"Come on, my cousin is up there! Could you try using that Giant Foot?!" He asked in a huge panic. "Peridot said she was running some tests on it! We'll never get it ready in time! I mean, who knows what those gems are doing to Steven." Pearl said, still panicking. "HEY YOU CLODS! WE'RE BACK!" Peridot screamed in rage, unable to stand being ignored by Pearl any longer. "Not now Peridot. Hi Steven." Pearl said to Peridot and Steven, oblivious to what she just said. "What are we going to d-" After speaking, Pearl immediately turned to see Steven and the gang had returned from homeworld. "Ugh, took you long enough."

"Y-Yeah...we're back." Zach said sheepishly, rubbing his head as everyone ran over to the gang to embrace them. "Oh my goodness, you're ok!" Greg said, immediately hugging the three kids. "Wé waire wairried sik abut you guys!" Citrine said in relief, immediately pulling Steven in for a hug before Amethyst and the rest of the gems did so as well.

"Connie, your parents were worried about you. Don't worry, I'll tell them you're on the way home." Sadie said before getting out her phone to call Connie's parents. "Oh...one other thing." Steven said before showing Drusy's bubbled gemstone. "Drusy..." Bismuth gasped in surprise. "You brought her home." Jewel said in shock. "Y-Yeah. I think she had major issues that she had in the past." Steven said, handing the bubbled gem to Garnet.

"Zach, please don't ever do that again!" Lars exclaimed in relief, hugging his own cousin tightly. "You could have gotten yourself killed!" Sadie yelled, angry at Zach, but glad he was ok. "I won't. Besides...I think our problems are over for now." Zach said. "You should thank Zach. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have gotten off of Homeworld. Also, he's been having a rough time since he got kicked out of school, so please go easy on him." Steven said with a smile, getting the two adults to look at Zach.

"What about Lapis? Is she alright?!" Peridot said after realising that someone wasn't here. "She's fine...she was screaming in fright for two hours before she calmed down and fell asleep." Imperia explained. "But Nephrite...she didn't make it. After being blasted by Black Diamond, there was no way we could restore her. She even destroyed the orcarina to make it permanent." Variscite added sadly.

Greg then noticed that someone was missing. "W-Wait. Where's Nora?" He asked, looking around in concern. Steven briefly looked away before answering. "She's...stayed behind to let us come home." He explained with tears forming in his eyes. "W-What?! Why would she stay behind? Was this your decision." Greg asked in shock, thinking his own son had abandoned his daughter. "It was her decision. I was against it, but she insisted that we leave her behind. I've never felt so bad in all my life." Steven explained in more details with a worried expression. "Woah, hold on a moment. Normally I'd be furious, but...if this was Nora's decision...man, I honestly don't know what to think right now." Greg admitted, having a lot of mixed feelings.

"Nora's gone? Oh thank goodne-I mean, oh no...that's awful." Pearl said, at first it was relief, but then it was a sad expression when the others glared at her. "Hmm...I thought this might be the case." Purity said sadly, her gemstone glowing blue on one of it's facets. "Wha-you knew?" Greg asked in shock. "Not really...I saw that as a posibility for her to avoid, but I'm surprised that Nora chose it." Purity explained. "Man...some brother I turned out to be..." Steven said sadly. " _Steven...do not worry. I will keep an eye on Nora for the time being._ " Red Diamond's voice spoke within Steven's head. "Thanks Red...I owe you one for this." Steven said to his diamond friend.

* * *

Back on Homeworld

Black Nephrite and Yellow Diamond's Zircon were both summoned at once to the white temple with White Zircon escorting them both. The duo looked upon a bright light who looked down upon them with an angered voice. "Look...whatever you're thinking...it wasn't my fault, I swear!" Black Nephrite pleaded in fear. "I don't want excuses! I want Rose Quartz, this instant." The huge being spoke in anger.

"Y-Yes, well it's complicated but the thing is-I mean, we did get her, on Earth in a different form...but there was a bit of a problem-" The commander started, but was cut off by the huge figure. "GET TO THE POINT!" She bellowed in anger. "Ok, ok! We...failed to get her back when she escaped and...we also heard she was shattered by Bismuth 1BZ." Black Nephrite explained. "You mean to say, you shattered her...without my permission?" The huge figure asked bitterly. "Y-Yes?" Black Nerphrite responded nervously.

"I-I-I promise, I won't ever fail you again my Diamond." Black Nephrite said nervously before hearing a chuckle. "Nobody fails me twice." The huge figure spoke before her eyes began to glow. "No, please...anything but that!" "Please my Diamond, I'll do anything, no, NOOOOOO!" The two gems begged but it was too late, the white blast had hit Black Nephrite and Yellow Zircon, causing their colours to dim as their screams were heard from outside the white temple.

"Noir...find the hive mind and bring it back to me in one piece." The white being spoke, turning towards Noir who bowed instantly. "As you wish... _Isabelline_." Noir said with a wicked grin before exiting the temple without the two gems.

 **To be continued...**

* * *

 **Well there we have it then...**

 **Nora's stuck with the Off-Colors**

 **And it appears that nothing will be the same**

 **Also, we have come to thie final part of the story...**

 **But one more part coming out after this.**

 **The preview for Adventures of the Gems 3**

 **So stay tuned until then, and be the first to see the previews to read it.**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


	21. Adventures of the Gems 3 Trailer

**Greetings from Negaboss2000**

 **Here with the preview for Adventures of the Gems 3**

 **Just to let everyone know, I based this preview on a usual movie trailer.**

 **Anyways, enjoy ^^**

* * *

 **It started…with the mention of her death…born from the past…**

 _"I watched the leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz, shatter Pink Diamond!" Eyeball said ominously, making the crystal gems look at each other in shock._

 **But nothing was proven…and it left a lot of evidence behind…**

 _"There were no Rose Quartz soldiers in Pink Diamond's entourage, and none in her guard. So how did a Rose Quartz, with no business being anywhere near Pink Diamond, get so close in the first place?" Blue Zircon pointed out in the trial._

 _"I designed this sword for a fair fight. It can cut through a gem's physical form in an instant, destroying the body, but never the gem."_

 **And the mystery continues…**

 _"Wait…you're saying that Pink Diamond wasn't shattered at all?!" Peridot asked in shock along with Topaz. "Yeah…somehow I believe one of the other diamonds did it." Steven explained from what he heard._

 _"But…who would do such a thing?"_

 **With danger lurking at every turn…**

 _"You couldn't live with our perfect legacy...could you Starlight? "Where did all that bring you? Right back to me." A voice spoke, causing Steven and Nora to turn towards a huge figure with a bright white aura and white eyes._

 _"You cannot do this Yellow!" Red Diamond spoke in anger as she turned to face Yellow Diamond. "Yes I can, this is what's expected of all of us, from a thin flake of mica, to the deepest, hardest stone. We all must make sacrifices, for the sake of our perfect empire!" Yellow growled in anger._

 _"Rose Quartz...So you escaped Homeworld...with the help of defective Gems... and crawled back here..." Blue Diamond spoke ominously before turning her head upwards, revealing to be crying an awful lot. "This is Pink's world! Her colony! How dare you use it as your hiding place?! Come! Answer for what you've done!" She continued angrily._

 _"I have been putting up with this for so long…and I CANNOT TAKE ALLOW THIS PROPHECY TO COME TRUE!" Noir screeched before attacking her foes._

* * *

 **Cartoon Network Presents**

 _"My name is Steven Universe. "I'm fourteen years old and I've got gem powers from my mom… But recently...things have been going down hill with a lot of problems happening all at once…"_

Steven looked down at Beach City, feeling sad with a great many things falling apart in his life.

 _"Nora being stranded in space…"_

"I can't believe I just...Left Nora behind for dead!" Steven said stressfully as tears came flooding out, not knowing that Nora was leading her Off-Color friends without any hesitation. "That possibility was inevitable Steven. There was nothing more you could have done." Purity said sadly, stroking Steven's hair.

 _"People wanting things for their own dark desires…"_

"Billy Dewey is gonna fuh-all an the-yn ah kay-yun step in an fetch maah company hair! Ah'm thuh one who's have a mindd-ta t' do whatevher it takes t' gain maah prize! heh, whatevher it takes." Hearing this, the citizens of Beach City were shocked by the cowboy's evil desires. "I honestly didn't get a single word out of that guy." Peedee admitted sheepishly. "What? You sayin' ya people couldn't understand a word ah was sayin'?!" The cowboy asked in shock.

 _"And I think…we're not the only ones who knows about homeworld."_

Steven, Zach, Connie, Peridot and Amethyst then noticed a couple of cars parked outside Steven's place on the sand before they went inside to see a few men in suits arguing with the gems.

"We are the agents of G.U.A.R.D. The _Governmental Undercover Agents Restoring Defence_ , dedicated to fighting off dangerous threats from our world." The african-american agent spoke with a stern voice, revealing to be part of a top secret organisation. "We're under orders from Director Barak Wrath to secure the area to make sure nothing bad happens." Agent Pottz added as more agents of G.U.A.R.D and even soldiers were revealed outside the house while arming themselves and setting up barriers.

"Please! You can't do this!" Steven pleaded in panic, only to be held back by Zach and Amethyst. "You clods can't do this! You don't even know what's coming!" Peridot pointed out angrily. "We can handle this Agent Sterling, you need to trust us." Garnet said firmly, only to see the agent turn towards her with a cold glare look upon his face. "The last time I trusted someone...I ended up with this scar to remind me...you can't count on anyone." Agent Sterling said, revealing a painful scar on his neck.

* * *

 **Based on the series by Rebecca Sugar**

 _"So now...I get the feeling that nothing will be the same, ever again..."_

Steven noticed a lot of his friends and the people from Beach City upset over the recent events.

 **Series remake by Negaboss2000**

 _"And I think...this is all my fault."_

Thunder rumbled within the dark clouds as rain fell from the sky.

Steven sat alone in a ship, feeling really impacted about his mother's secrets, and he felt that there was nobody else to blame but himself.

* * *

 _"No...this does not mean we're giving up! Ever!"_

 **Zach Callison**

"This is our home! Our planet! Our friends and family! We are the Crystal Gems!" Steven said firmly, preparing to fight off against their oncoming enemies.

 **Grace Rolek**

Darren was attempting to keep Connie restrained in his brother's car, but she resisted. "Rgh! Why are you being so difficult? You're pathetic." He asked in anger, only to be responded when Connie hit him in the head. "Don't call me...Pathetic!" Connie growled before shoving Darren away and climbed onto the roof of the car. All the while, Steven and Zach had been watching before looking at each other. "Er...remind me never to make her angry again." Steven requested nervously.

 **Daveigh Chase**

"Mommy wouldn't want me to be sad, and I know she'd want me to help my family!" Nora said before wiping the tears from her face and changing her face to a confident smile before taking on a whole armada of gem ships.

 **Estelle Fanta Swaray**

"They said they annihilated Rose's rebellion, but here we are. They said they annihilated all of you on Homeworld, but here you are. They think they have us on the run, but they're the ones that are running from the truth. And the truth is we... are... everywhere!" Garnet said, filling the Off Colors with confidence.

 **Michaela Dietz**

"No matter what happens sis, I'm glad to have you for a sister." Amethyst stated with a sad smile as she hugged Citrine.

 **Deedee Magno-Hall**

"You know this is crazy, right? Your status, my purpose. None of it will matter anymore. This will change everything." She said as Rose nodded her head with excitement.

 **Shelby Rabara**

"Hey Blue Diamond! Fight me!" Peridot yelled as Bismuth threw her at Blue Diamond's face. "You tried destroying my home! You tried to destroy my friend! Well then...Yellow Clod! This is what you get for doing everything hurtful to Earth!" Peridot growled but baring a smile as she got a few gadgets while Topaz armed herself with her pugil mace and threatened to use it on Yellow Diamond now that she was weakened. "Are all Peridots this tenacious?" Yellow Diamond asked with absolute annoyance, causing multiple Peridots to look at each other in confusion before they agreed with her.

 **Jennifer Paz**

"They're going to take their anger out on this planet, just like they did before. I can't...no...I won't let myself get caught up in another war." Lapis said, clutching Peridot's shoulder. "Would you rather be alone?!" Steven called out, causing Lapis to consider for a moment, thinking about all that they went through. "You know what, if they're gonna punish me like a Crystal Gem, I might as well be one." Lapis said with a confident smile as she embraced her friends.

 **Uzo Aduba**

"Be advised, you're about to take the full force of a volcano. This could melt you." Purity warned Bismuth who prepared the items. "Only if I get shattered Purity. Anyways, let's get down to _Bismuth_!" The Rainbow Gem replied before jumping down into the belly of the volcano, leaving Purity in shock. "Uh yes...that's what shattering you would mean." She replied before shrugging it off.

 **Martha Higareda**

Topaz defused while hanging onto Connie and Steven to avoid a pole in front of her components. That in turn caused their chaser to hit the pole. "Talk about a big banana split, eh Topa?" Topaz's left ear component said to the other Topaz as she smiled and high-fived her twin.

 **Ashly Burch**

"Wow, these swords are pretty amazing." The left Rutile spoke, viewing her sword in awe. "I know right? Twice the heads, twice the fighters." The right Rutile spoke, looking at her sword, impessed at what Bismuth built her. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with the walking Catapult here." Peridot stated before seeing the two twins tower over her, glaring deadly into her eyes. "Do not ever call us a catapult." The left twin said in anger.

 **Enuka Okuma**

Screaming like a little girl, Rhodonite refused to stop in fear of herself and the others being obliterated. Eventually, she unfused, revealing her two components towards the others. They then stopped screaming upon realising that they had unfused. "Sorry...we unfuse when we're really nervous." Rhodonite's Ruby said sheepishly.

 **Erica Luttrell**

"I predict we will find out the truth of Pink Diamond, oh my, this is absoluetly shocking!" Padparadscha said in shock. "WHAAAAAAAT?!" Amethyst said aloud as she and some of the other crystal gems appeared behind the gang, having heard what Paddy said in shock. "I am going to _kill_ that Sapphire!" Peridot said in annoyance as her eye rapidly twitched to Paddy's delayed future vision.

 **Kathleen Fisher**

"Maybe. Rose. Wasn't. Who. You. Thought. She. Was." Fluorite said as she comforted Steven with a hug. "But. I'm. Positive. She. Cared. About. You. All." Upon hearing this, Steven smiled at Fluorite's comforting words. "You're right Fluorite. She really did care about us, she must have thought that I wouldn't have liked her if I heard about this, but I don't blame her." He said with a smile.

 **Nichole Oliver**

"Purity, you must, it's the only way to defeat Yellow and Black Diamonds!" Pearl begged her friend, who was hesitant at first, but decided to allow it. "Just this once then. Steven, hang on, I'm coming to help!" Purity said before fusing with Steven.

 **Kimberly Brooks**

Yellow Diamond looked in anger at what Jasper was doing with the other crystal gems who were preapred for battle. "You?...You would defy your own Diamond?!" She asked in disgust. "Believe me... _you're_ not my Diamond!" Jasper said before changing her Yellow Soldier outfit back to her original Pink Soldier outfit, causing Yellow to get furious.

 **Haley Joel Osment**

"Bro...an adventure in space? That's so awesome!" Zach said with excitement. In the process, the other gems looked at each other in annyance. "What? I know I've been to Space once before, but not properly." Zach said in his own defence.

 **And Tara Strong**

"Go now while you still have your chance to escape." Red Diamond spoke as she allowed Nora and the Off-Colors to escape homeworld.

* * *

 **Join Steven and his friends as they search for the truth behind Pink Diamond**

"I...I saw the Diamonds." Steven said, causing the others to gasp. "What?! What are you talking about?" Lapis asked with concern. "I dreamt about them. They were right here in this room." Steven said from what he saw. "What does that mean?!" Lapis asked frantically. "When Connie, the others and I were stranded on the Jungle Moon, I...me and Connie saw a vision of Pink Diamond." Steven explained, recalling their adventure on the Jungle Moon.

"So...I'm gonna give you a whole month to find out the truth on _who_ shattered my Diamond. And if you do find out, then I don't have to shatter you." Jasper said to Steven before smirking at him evilly. "But if not...then that's fine too. Because we'll both be obliterated with this planet, and I get to spend the rest of my broken life, tormenting you." She said, poking her fingers at Steven's gem.

"No one can ever find out we did this. I never want to look back. So, for my last order to you all, please, let's never speak of this again. No one can know." Rose's voice spoke to her allies.

"This...changes...everything..." Peridot spoke in disbelief as she stood there with the truth unfolded before her very eyes.

"I wanted to tell you all for so long." Pearl said, finally uncovering her mouth after all these years.

"OH MY GOSH! It all makes sense now! She didn't want any of us finding out!" Bismuth realised having dipped her whole head in a lava ball. "Um...she only told some of us." Butterwing said sheepishly as she, Ice, Sphalerite and Purity raised their hands.

"Welp...that just happened." Lars said in shock. "I KNEW IT! His mom was...what?" Ronaldo started, but cut off when everyone glared at him coldly.

* * *

 **Friendships will be tested**

"She lied to us! She lied about everything!" Sapphire screamed as she froze up parts of the house, scaring the gems and the girls in the process...and also freezing Peirdot's left leg much to her fright.

"You think I didn't know how anyone else would feel if I did give myself up, well did YOU even think about what I'd feel if you or Nora died or were behind on Homeworld?!" Steven said, angrily calling Connie out for supporting Nora's decision.

"I can't...I really don't want to get caught up in another war..." Lapis explained, trying to keep herself from crying as she spread her wings. "I'm sorry about Nora..." She managed to say through her tears before flying off.

"This…This is all my fault. If only I had have pushed Nora off the ship, she wouldn't be in this situation! No...I shouldn't have gotten her into this situation!" Connie cried, not hesitating to hold any tears back. "Maybe Steven's better off without me, maybe _everyone_ would have been better off without me!" She said, thinking things that weren't even true

"I DID THIS!" Peridot cried out. "No, no, no, no. Peridot. You didn't." Steven tried reassuring the green gem, but no avail. "No! My own actions had consequences in store, now nothing's ever going to get better because of me! Everything is just ruined forever! We can't get anything back! Nor can we save this planet either, because I ratted out those humans out to the Diamonds! I might as well just throw my hopes in the garbage and toss myself in after because it's all just hopeless trash, especially how I treated Lapis...She's...she's...she's never going to forgive me after what I said to her…" Peridot yelled before sadly falling to her knees, thinking about the bad things that were currently happening.

* * *

 **Dark forces will rise**

"Finally, trickin' those theyer gullible people an allowin' 'em t' elect me as their mayor was easy, now ah kay-yun finally turn this puh-lace into a goldmaahn. As maah daddy allers said, squat's a hich ifin' it makes ya filthy rich!" The person spoke evilly, revealing his insidious plan causing Lars and his cousin Zach to gasp in horror right before falling of the roof with a large thud and a crash. "Done ya guys har sumthing?" One of the minions asked in confusion. "Nuh-ah, ah didn't har anythin'." The other one said.

" _I_ need those people to adore me! And you guys aren't gonna mess it up for us!" Kevin said to Steven firmly, demanding for the young boy to do what he asked. "Yeah! Nobody in America messes with the Galaxies!" Darren stated with a growl.

"We're going to find Rose Quartz and her minions...for your sake, they'd better be broken Goldsmuth!" Hessonite said threateningly as she grabbed Goldsmuth by her apron.

* * *

 **New Fusions will appear**

"Well, what do you know?!"

"Great Scott! I actually fused with Steven!"

"What's kickin' Crystal Gems?! Anyone for an Encore?!"

"You better step off!"

"Hello kids, come out and play."

"Yea boi! I should have known I'd fuse with Bismuth! Wait...how did I do that again?"

"You have committed crimes against Earth and her people Yellow Diamond. What's say you in your defence?"

* * *

 **And the Crystal Gems will face down, the biggest enemy they've ever encountered.**

"Believe me Blue... _She's_ not going to be happy that you've done this." Black Diamond said with an angry smirk, mentioning someone far beyond the crystal gems.

"Oh no! We can't let _her_ see this!" Blue Diamond said in fear as Red Diamond had a look of concern upon her face.

" _She_ isn't like us. _She_ isn't even like them. You have no idea what _she's_ capable of!" Pearl stated in fear as she tried to convince Steven not to go anywhere near _her_.

"Steven, believe me, this _clod_ is almighty, _she's_ absolutely perfect, _she's_...terrifying!" Peridot said, tightly holding Lapis' hand to comfort her upon hearing the name.

"Oh no...not _her_! She abuses everyone who comes into contact with _her_!" Lapis said with her trauma creeping back up her spine.

"With Black and Yellow Diamonds helping _her_...I think we're in for, a Really. Bad. Time." Topaz said with a fright, tightly hugging Rhodonite in fear.

"You mean... _that_ Diamond?" The left Rutile asked with concern. "Yes! _That_ Diamond!" The right Rutile spoke in panic.

* * *

"Ahhh...there you are. Hello Starlight. My my... we've been causing quite a scene, haven't we?" A being from behind Steven and Nora spoke as the twins turned around to see a being made of pure light with eyes.

* * *

 **[2:55] PANDORA - Be the One**

 _~ Be The One, Be The One_

 _~ We will! Make all your sight_

Yellow Diamond tried distablizing Peridot's form, but luckily the attack was blocked by Topaz when she swung her pugil mace around.

The Rutiles charged right at Cat's Eye Opal and took her head on.

Lapis attacked Bloodstone like a Ninja before beating her with both her hydrokinesis and by her own hands harshfully.

Ian tried blasting Steven with that gem cannon, but luckily it was blocked by Steven's shield before it bounced off it. "Rgh! hooaah kay-yun't ya jus' cash in done?!" He growled, trying countless times.

 _~ You'll be the one_

Out of fear, Bismuth used the Star Slicer's hammer side in self defence on Bismuth 1SL.

Rhodonite smashed Emerald's destabilizer in a fit of rage after she hurt Fluorite.

 _~ Be The Lights, Be The Lights_

 _~ We will take darkness into brightness yeah_

"COME ON YOU CLODS! FOLLOW MY LEAD!" Peridot yelled as she lead the attack on the Destiny Destroyer which proved impossible mainly because of the squadron behind them.

Spirit Quartz suddenly split apart because of Lapis' trauma coming back to haunt her.

Red Diamond pounced on Yellow Diamond and tirelessly kept punching her.

 _~ Leading you into the light_

Steven slid down the rail with Nora clinging to him in fear.

Without hesitation, Connie jumped from Kevin's car onto Zach's Quadbike, mere minutes before Kevin hit a police car.

Agent Sterling used a taser to destort the form of Emerald.

Nora held onto Padparadscha as they both pretended to act the part during the Cosmic Jubilee, trying not to attract any attention.

 _~ Be The Light_

 _~ Oh you will be alive_

Steven and Connie had their first dance, and boy did it feel wonderful.

Steven raised his shield to protect Connie and Nora from the oncoming attacks as they deflected instantly. "DON'T YOU RAISE YOUR SHIELD AT ME! I ONLY WANT YOU TO BE YOURSELF, THE SAME USELESS, DEFECTIVE BRAT! IF YOU CAN'T DO THAT, I'LL DO IT _FOR YOU_!" The white figure screamed before firing a white blast at her enemies.

Black Diamond prepeared to use her powers to destroy everything the Crystal Gems stood for. "You brought this on yourself Pink." She growled evilly, using her sword and attempting to break Steven's gem.

"NOOO!" Connie scremed in fright.

 _~ Be The One, Be The One!_

Steven, now very hurt and on the verge of giving up, then heard a familiar voice. "Steven...I never ment for any of this to happen." Rose said, as Steven turned to see someone that he was really glad to see. "I get it...I was too stupid to realise how all this affected you..." Steven said in shame.

Pearl, Garnet, Bismuth and Amethyst were shocked to see their old friend and leader, but mostly overjoyed to see her.

 _~ You will Be The One_

Steven then leaned over to Connie before planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

Zach used the Hive mind to blast the white figure at the same time she fired her's, causing the two beams to clash together.

 **Steven Universe**

 **Adventures** **of the Gems**

 **3**

 _~ We'll make a way_

* * *

The gang groaned, trying to get out of the wreckage of their damaged fighter ship. "Sheesh, well that could have been worse." Topaz said before another debris of their ship fell on top of them, causing them to groan in annoyance. "You're kidding me right?! You clods!" Peridot grumbled as she and her friends tried to wiggle their way out of the debris.

* * *

 **Coming Soon**

* * *

Steven then looked up to see three figures in amazement and shock. "Woah…w-who are are you guys?" He asked as the trio came into the light, one looked like a teenage girl in a knight's armor with cyan-colored wool hair, the second was a blue hedgehog with red running shoes, a brown scarf and white gloves, and the third was a huge yellow ball with arms.

* * *

 **And there we have it ^^**

 **As Looney Tunes always says: That's All Folks.**

 **Now Adventures of the Gems will take a bit of a while for me to prepare, but don't worry ^^**

 **I'll be sure to get it out soon enough.**

 **Also, there's a quick preview for one of the chapters, which will be a crossover chapter.**

 **So stay tuned for the next series and I'll see you then** **.**

 **Negaboss2000 out ^^**


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